


Mine Until Midnight

by mal_fuctioning_writer



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cinderella Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, NSFW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-07-02 01:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15785991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mal_fuctioning_writer/pseuds/mal_fuctioning_writer
Summary: You attend a costume party and meet a mystery man who you immediately hit it off with. After you get to know him, he removes his mask, it’s revealed to be Loki Laufeyson, and man who you find absolutely revolting. Alas, you have to leave before midnight at the risk of getting caught by your evil boss, and he doesn’t get to find out who you are. Will these newly found conflicting feelings let you tell him who you are or keep it hidden from him? (Cinderella AU Loki Laufeyson X Reader)





	1. Chapter 1

"Yes, darling! You're doing amazing! Oh yes Loki," Maria continued to yell out compliments as Loki posed differently each time the camera flashed, "a little more of a smoldering look, sweetie! There it is! Now sexier! Exactly! You got it, darling."

Loki quickly got annoyed by Maria who was clearly enjoying herself way too much. There was nothing he loathed more than having people gawk at him and drool. Well, it's part of the job to be stared at by billions of people as a famous actor/model, and he hated it, but who wouldn't want to be paid for just looking amazing on television with mediocre acting skills?

Still, Maria's actions were clearly unprofessional and utterly irritating. It was even more infuriating when they tried to hide it like she was. He smirked as a sneaky idea popped into his head. Loki started posing in a much more suggestive way. Maria clearly started getting more and more sexually frustrated to the point where she had to turn around and stop all together?

She cleared her throat and fanned herself with her hand, "Uh, let's take a short break."

Loki slipped a robe on and sneaked up behind her as she reviewed all the pictures she had taken. "Is something wrong?" He whispered into her ear.

Maria gasped and spun around, "Oh, no. Nothing's wrong. Just need a break to review everything." As she spoke, Loki stepped forward while she stepped backwards until she was against the table and couldn't go back anymore.

"Are you sure? You seem a little nervous," he caressed her cheek gingerly with the back of his and brought her chin up, "you're a little warm."

She started breathing heavier as his face drew closer to his, "I can guarantee you that I'm doing just fine."

He smiled as he knew that she was probably dripping wet down in her knickers. Loki was always successful when it came to seducing women and men alike.

**********

You ran into the lobby with a tray of iced coffees in your hand and a stack of folders filled with photographs in the other. You then saw that the elevator was about to close which caused you to panic and run even faster. "Oh shoot! Hold the door please! Wait," you shouted out as you rushed to the closing set of doors. Fortunately a man was nice enough to hold it for you just in time, as you practically tripped it. The coffee was fine, but the folders scattered all over the floor.  
The man hurriedly assisted you in picking them up as he chuckled, "What's the rush? Are you late or something?" His accent was thick and his voice was gruff as he spoke and you laughed along with him.

"Sort of. My boss starts getting cranky if I don't get her midday coffees to her in time," you explained while you picked the folders up.

"I see, what floor are you heading to?" he asked.

You looked at the buttons and raised your brows, "Same floor, actually."

"Ah, Miss Hill's floor then."

Suddenly his hand touched yours as you both reached for the last one. You both slowly looked into each other's eyes. You felt your cheeks get warmer as he smiled at you, his icy blue eyes piercing yours.

He handed it to you and continued staring at you as you stood up, "I'm Thor. Thor Odinson"

"You're gorgeous- I mean Y/N! My name it Y/F/N! Sorry, I'm a bit frazzled right now because I really don't want to get yelled at by my boss, and she's with a really big client, so she might have to save it for later which is even worse because that means she'll be even angrier for being forced to repress her emotions... and I'm rambling. I'm sorry," you said nervously, stepping off the elevator together.

Thor chuckled as he walked through the hallway with you, "I think it's cute. Don't worry about it." 

You grew even more embarrassed to hear him call you cute, and he seemed to take notice, "You don't have to be nervous, Y/N. It's alright. Everyone makes mistakes, alright?"

"Thank you. I guess you're right. Oh, here we are."

He went in front of you and opened the door like a gentleman, "After you."

You smiled and nodded, "Thank y-Oh my God!" Your eyes widened as you stepped into the studio and dropped the tray of coffee in your hand.

Loki was ramming into Maria, your boss, on your desk as she moaned loudly. You rushed to cover your eyes and turn around.

"Is something the matter?" Thor rushed in and pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, "For Allfather's sake, Loki! What the fuck are you doing?"

Maria gasped and quickly got off the table to pull her knickers back up while Loki laughed and strutted towards Thor, completely nude. "Brother, nice of you to finally show up. I was beginning to grow bored without you around. Thank goodness that your face is a complete turn off for me," he glanced at you and the spilled coffees on the ground then broke into a fit of laughter, "Did you enjoy the show, girl?"

Thor stepped in front of you to block you from his view and glared at Loki while he shook his head, "Brother, get some clothes on. You've got to get ready for your own party tonight."

Loki scowled and waved him off as he walked towards the dressing room, "Fine, but you better add Miss Hill to the guest list."

Thor sighed and turned to face you, "I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that Y/N. My brother can me very inappropriate, and he's a huge thorn in my side."

You smiled shyly and sighed as you threw away the now empty cups, "It's fine. I'll just have to bleach my eyes and my desk. I'm struggling to see is how you're related to him."

"Well, if helps, he's adopted."

You chuckled and grabbed a roll of paper towels, "Oh yeah, that definitely explains it."

Thor knelt down to help you clean up the mess. "You sure have a way of bringing me to my knees, Y/N," he joked.

"What can I say? I can't help it," you said, wiggling your eyebrows awkwardly as an attempt to be sexy as a joke.

He laughed as he stood up and wiped his hands off, "Why don't you come to the party tonight? I'd love to dance the night away with you while I get to know you more."

"Wait, what?" You shot up too quickly and hit your head on a table.

Thor laughed even harder as he helped you up, "Are you okay?"

You nervously rubbed the back of your head, "Yeah, I'm fine. You kind of just surprised me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"No! It's not your fault. I sort of overreacted because people normally don't invite me to parties or social gatherings in general."

"Really? I find that hard to believe."

"Yeah. I tend to blend into the background since I literally work behind the scenes."

"You and me both."

"Y/N, stop flirting with him and bring me my iced coffee before I lose it," Maria yelled from her station.

"Well, duty calls. It was really nice meeting you, Thor," you sighed and started walking towards her with the only drink that survived.

"Make sure you and Y/N, make it to the party tonight, Miss Hill," Thor said with an eager smile.

Maria smiled sweetly and giggled, "Of course we'll be there! Have a wonderful day Mr. Odinson! And I'll definitely see you later, Loki." She smiled smugly at Loki as he emerged from the dressing room, fully dressed.

He winked at Maria before putting a pair of sunglasses on, "Can't wait."

Thor rolled his eyes, "Come on brother. Quit your incessant sexual advances already. We've got a costume fitting in 15 minutes."

"Yes, yes, I'm hurrying," Loki replied while walking at a leisurely pace with his hands in his pockets.

Thor waited impatiently and waved at you before receding into the hallway and you smiled, waving at him in return.

"You're definitely not going to that party," Maria said, sipping away at her coffee.

You snapped your head in her direction, "What? Why not?"

"Because I said so, and as your stepmom, you have to do what I say."

"That's not how that works, Maria. I'm an adult, not some angsty teenager. You and I are literally the same age," you said as you started filing the portfolios, "I can make my own decisions."

She cackled and pretended to wipe away a tear, "You still work for me, so as your boss, I can't allow you to go. You have work to do like..." Her eyes darted around the room, searching for something to do until her eyes settled on something in the far corner. A nasty grin spread across her face, and she turned you to look at it, "Like finally clean out the clothing bin, even if it takes you all day and night."

"That's not fair, Maria. You can't just-"

"Oh yes I can, or do you want me cut you off from your trust fund," she said, squeezing your shoulders tightly  
You shook free from her grasp and sighed, "I'll gladly do it then, Miss Hill.”

"Excellent. Now get to work, I have a costume to find. I'll be back around midnight to make sure that you've done it properly, toodles!"

You rolled your eyes and flipped her off as she exited the room. The clothing bin was overflowing with clothes that had been worn, but not hung back up or cleaned properly. It would take forever for you to sort and hang up. Some of them needed to be dry-cleaned while others were required to be hand washed. The clothing bin was an absolute nightmare that everyone avoided for years, and now it was up to you to clean up after everyone.

"Hello?" A woman's voice interrupted your train of thought.

You faced where the voice came from and squealed, running towards her for a hug, "Wanda! What are you doing here?"

She grunted from the pressure of your embrace and laughed, "That's a dumb question. I'm in town for a movie shoot, so why wouldn't I visit my best friend? Have always been this ungrateful?" As you squeezed harder, her back cracked, and she started tapping, "Okay, I tap. I tap, I'm sorry.”

"What about me? Don't I get some love?" Pietro asked with his arms open wide.

"Oh Pietro! I've missed you so much," you shouted as he lifted you up and spun you around.

"Wow, why don't you two just get a room?" Wanda said sarcastically.

Pietro scoffed and set you down, his arms still around you as he rested his chin on your head, "You’re just jealous that I'm her favorite twin, Wanda."

"Oh please, Y/N would take a bullet for me, even if I had to put her in front of me."

"You're such a bitch, Wan," you said as you pushed her lightly.

She shrugged and hopped onto your desk, "Only because I love you."

You cringed immediately, "Wanda, I don't think you should be sitting on my desk right now."

"Why not? Am I messing up your feng shui?"

"Um, no. Maria Hell was just being fucked on in, but you're welcome to continue sitting there if you want to."

"Oh my gosh, eww," Wanda jumped off in an instant as Pietro laughed at her, "why didn't you start with that? Who would even want to fuck Maria Hell?"

"Loki Laufeyson," you said and Pietro groaned.

"Of course he would. Loki puts his dick in literally anything that moves," Pietro said and the two of you pretended to be all over each other, causing Wanda to break into a fit of laughter.

"One thing Loki is good for is throwing killer parties. Are you going tonight?" She asked.

You sighed shook your head, "Unfortunately, I'm not. The gorgeous Thor Odinson invited me and even told me to save him a dance, but I have to take care of this. Maria Hell's orders." You pulled the heaping bin over and Pietro just about lost it.

"Who the fuck does that stupid skank think she is? Just because she married your dad doesn't mean that she can do whatever the hell she fucking wants. This really isn't fair. I can guarantee that if your dad was still kicking, he'd have you out of here in no time. You'd be the CEO of your own fashion company by now, Y/N. Wanda and I would rock your clothing line on the red carpet at movie premieres. We'd be partying in the penthouse suite of a hotel in Paris! Tell me again why you're still here."

"This is my mom's company, Pietro. I can't just leave it all behind in the hands of a she devil. You know that I'd love to travel the world with you, but my place is here. I have to continue my parent's work."

"Well, that still doesn't mean you can't go to the party," Wanda said.

"What do you mean? This is going to take me all night!"

Wanda whispered into Pietro's ear and he nodded. She grabbed your shoulders and looked you in the eye, "You are going to that party tonight."

"How?"

"When you're famous actors, you get a lot of connections, Y/N. We'll have someone take care of it. She owes us one."

"Wait does that mean-"

Pietro hugged you from behind, "Let's go get you a costume, huh? One with a mask so Maria Hell doesn't see you. You can be our date."

"Oh we can be an iconic Batman Trio," Wanda said excitedly.

You laughed and clung to Pietro, "Okay, fine! I still have to be back before here before midnight."

"Great! I texted my contact, and she's glad to take care of all of this for you! Let's go," Wanda held the door open and Pietro run through, making a dash for the elevators, dragging you behind as you were barely keeping up.

**********

"I thought you would have chosen Batgirl," Wanda said as you stepped out of the dressing, "but you're a cross-dressing Robin instead." 

Pietro laughed and you smacked him, "There were 3 badass female Robins before, so it's perfectly fine! It's more instantly recognizable than the Huntress."

"Hey, I love the Huntress! I'm not saying that you look bad, but those tights are ridiculous! Are you sure you're a fashion designer?"

"I think that you look amazing," Pietro said as he adjusted his mask.

"See, Wanda? I look great, so I'm wearing it," you said while she readjusted your utility belt.

"Okay, Y/N, but at least ditch the tights," Wanda suggested.

Pietro nodded, "I actually agree with Wanda for this one, Y/N. The tights are really not suiting you. I think you should just wear shorts."

"You guys always manage to make me give into peer pressure so easily. I swear you could persuade me to strip in public," you said as you slipped them off and grabbed a pair of shorts.

Pietro pulled you into his chest and smirked, "Is that a challenge, Robin?"

You rolled your eyes and stuck your tongue out at him, "You're all bark and no bite, Batman."

"All the weird Robin and Batman shippers are going wild right now," Wanda said before pretending to hurl.

"Alright, let's get out of here before the paparazzi show up and spoil our costumes before we even get there," Pietro turned you around and started pushing you out of the shop. 

The three of you arrived and paparazzi already swarmed the limo, only to be cleared away by security guards. Pietro stepped out after Wanda and offered you his hand to assist you in getting out. The moment you stepped out the paparazzi became even more aggressive, asking for your identity to which they replied in unison, "She's our date."

As you entered the mansion together, you felt yourself smile. This was the first time you'd been to such an amazing looking party in years. The last you could remember was your graduation your father threw for you when you graduated from FIT before his passing. Just seeing so many people socializing made you happy. The only strange thing was that nearly everyone was dressed as the same characters from Loki's movies and TV shows. There were approximately 14 people that you could see that were dressed as basic things like vampires or werewolves. It seemed that people had no creativity whatsoever.

"I didn't get the memo that there would be so many Loki's at this party. Even one is too many for me," Pietro joked.

"Quick, let's get some alcohol in our systems before I go insane," Wanda said as she grabbed three glasses from a passing server.

**********

Loki continued to fake a smile as people greeted him, pretending that they actually cared about him. He knew that all any of them really wanted was to infiltrate his inner circle to benefit from just being his friend. Their voices just sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown as he simply nodded as if what they were talking about really mattered.

"Loki, Darling," Maria said as she approached him, dressed as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's."

"Excuse me," he said as he left the group of people he was talking to and greeted her with a hug, "Miss Hill. Wonderful to see you again."

"I just couldn't get enough of you earlier," she said into his ear, grabbing his genitals.

"Whoa there, Miss Hill. There are many people watching," he said while grabbing her hand.

"My apologies, Loki. I just can't seem to stop myself," she giggled and pressed her pelvis to his, "you just make such a hot blue Power Ranger."

Loki tensed up and pushed her off of him, "You best behave yourself, Miss Hill. You don't want me to go around telling people how unprofessional you were today during my photo shoot."

"Excuse me?" Maria was obviously disgusted by his comment.

"No, excuse me," he turned around and pushed through the crowd. Loki made his way to the balcony where no one seemed to be since it was much too cold to be outside. He leaned against the railing and hung his head, taking a deep breath. It felt great because it was almost as if this was the first time he was allowed to breathe tonight.

"That's a really nice costume you've got there, Nightwing," a female's voice interrupted him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You share a kiss with Loki then you're dragged away. After that, you make headlines as Loki's Superhero Cinderella.

Loki looked over at you and smirked, "Gee, thanks Robin. Are you dressed as... don't tell me... Stephanie Brown?"

"Close, but no. It's more of a Carrie Kelley since my friends made me ditch the tights, so here I am freezing my ass off. What are you doing out here? Not enjoying Loki's party?" You said from the cold stone bench, swirling around the liquid in your glass.

He sat down next to you, amused that you had no idea who he was. This way he could have a genuine conversation without any ulterior motives, "I could ask you the same thing, Robin."

"I needed some air. It feels so suffocating to be in there. It's fun, don't get me wrong, but seeing so many people dressed as the same people gets confusing when you're a little tipsy. Besides, I haven't been to a party in such a long time that it just feels really strange," you explained.

"I know what you mean. Loki knows how to throw parties, but it just seems like everyone here just wants something from him. Just listening to people talk to him gets so annoying."

"Honestly, I don't know Loki too well, but I feel bad for him. I've seen situations like that before. He's clearly acting out in the ways that he does because he's not being allowed to be himself. All he needs is a reality check and I really think that he could end up being a really cool person. But what do I know? I'm just some tipsy stranger who doesn't know the slightest thing about him."

Loki stared at you in admiration because you understood him so perfectly that he just had to keep the conversation going. He wanted to learn more about you. He wanted to know everything, "How can you be so sure about him being someone actually decent?"

You shrugged, "I always acted like the world owed me everything and I could take advantage of whatever or whoever the hell I wanted, just like him. Every single thing that I did, I did without any repercussions just because I could. All of this happened while I was in college too, so I lost sight of my dreams... until my mom died. That was the biggest reality check anyone could receive, I think. I coped by burying myself in work and actually did pretty well in the end... sort of. Then my dad remarried some horrible bitch who could be my sister with how young she is. But my dad died during a freak car accident last year, so I'm basically all on my own." You paused for a moment, "Loki probably isn't a bad guy at all, but something big is going to happen to him and all I want to do is tell him that it'll be okay. Sure he's an asshole that no one really likes, but he's still a person with feelings and emotions. Everything he's done in the past will catch up with him and I honestly hope someone will be there for him when he falls. Probably his brother Thor. I should stop talking now... I feel like I'm just rambling."

Loki scoffed, "No, I happen to be very close to Loki and I agree. The only thing that you were off on is that his brother just thinks of him as a burden to bear at this point. Thor would probably leave Loki behind and never look back if he could, Robin."

"Nothing is stronger than the bond of two brothers, man. What about you? What's your dark and brooding story, Nightwing?" You said, affectionately nudging him in the shoulder.

He chuckled and took a moment to think about his upbringing, "You know, no one has really asked me that and genuinely wanted to know before."

"Really? That's upsetting to hear. You must hang around really fake people. Who am I kidding? This is Hollywood after all. But really, I want to know."

"If you insist... I've felt like I've never really fit into my family. It's not like I was treated like the red-headed stepchild or anything, but that's exactly what it felt like to me. My father always favored my younger brother and even wanted him to be the successor to our family run company. Then I find out that I was adopted and everything started making sense as to why my father always acts like he couldn't give a single damn about me. I decided to go against every single thing that he's asked me to do, now I've built myself up pretty well. The only person who I think really cares for me is my mother. She's always treated me kindly and always helped me when I was in a bad place. But now she's on her deathbed and I'm afraid to even see her."  
"You should see her. I know that it might be hard for you to see her so frail and sickly, but I know that if I had the chance to go back and see my mom one more time, I would do it in a heartbeat. Plus, she's probably waiting for you."

Loki smiled sheepishly, taking everything you said to heart, "You're right, Robin. Batman would be proud."

You laughed wholeheartedly and finished the rest of your drink, "Thank you, Nightwing. I try my best."

From inside the DJ started playing a slow song and Loki opened and closed his mouth slightly, hesitating to ask you to dance, but much to his surprise you asked, "This might be crazy, but do you want to dance?" To which he stupidly replied, "You're very bold, but I'm a horrible dancer."

"Luckily, so am I. Come on, we can dance out here, so I can get circulation in my legs," you stood up and pulled him along.

As he held your hand and put his hand on your waist, he felt his face grow warmer once you got into the groove and smiled at him. He forced himself to look away and said, "You're actually a really decent dancer, Robin."

"I know, I took lessons for years. I knew you were lying, so I got you onto your feet," you admitted.

"Sneaky little bird you are, my dear Robin," he said, almost a whisper.

You had no idea why you were acting so confident. Normally you would have tripped over your own feet or stepped on his by now, but that wasn't the case this time. Maybe it was the alcohol or the atmosphere, but this stranger you were dancing with made you feel very comfortable.  
Loki didn't want to admit it, but he wanted to get to know you even more. For once in his life, he wanted something more than to get into a woman's pants. It was strange to him that he would be attracted to someone whose face he hadn't even seen, yet he was so mesmerized by you. You were an enigma that he craved to solve.

The tension was so thick that you could cut with a knife, and you both knew that both of you could feel it. You found that your faces drew closer to each other until your lips finally met. In that moment, it felt like there was an explosion. Maybe it was because actual fireworks started going off and the two of you laughed, staring at them.

"That means it's probably midnight already. That means that it's my birthday now," Loki said as he pressed his forehead against yours.

"Happy birthday then," you smiled and closed your eyes, feeling so calm in his presence until what he said processed, "wait, it's midnight already? Oh no."

"Yes, why? Is something wrong?"

Suddenly Thor stepped outside dressed as Aquaman, "Loki, there you are. Everyone has been searching for you."

"Wait... Loki?" You were in complete shock. All the things you were saying about him, you were actually saying to him, and you felt embarrassed, "I'm so sorry about everything that I said. I didn't know that it was you."

He smiled, "Don't worry about it. I actually agreed with what you've said, remember?"

Thor rolled his eyes, "Brother, please come inside. This girl must be freezing out here."

"In a second, Thor," Loki turned to you, "now that you know who I am, could you please tell me your identity, Robin?"

Just then Pietro and Wanda rushed out in a state of panic, and they grabbed your arms. "We've been looking all over for you! The she devil left 5 minutes ago," Pietro explained as they started dragging you inside to escape.

"Hold on! Let me know who she is at least," Loki said as he tried to weave through the crowd to follow you, only to have people instantly try talking to him and grabbing him, slowing him down.

"No time, Loki! We've got to get her home," Wanda yelled. Wanda shoved you into the car and Happy, the driver, went off as soon as the door was closed.

Loki caught up just in time to see you zooming away. He sighed and hung his head, realizing that you dropped your mask. He picked it up and held it to his chest before realizing that paparazzi were already trying to move in on him, so he headed inside.

"Wait, where's my mask?" You asked.

Wanda shook her head, "It doesn't matter! Start getting changed!"

The three of you stripped in the back of the limo, throwing everything into one corner as you quickly tried to get out of the costumes to change into normal clothes. All the while Happy zoomed through the streets, managing to make precise turns that made you tumble around in the back.

"Gamora texted me and said that they finished up that clothing bin. The dry cleaning is already at the dry cleaners, hand washed items are hand washed and dried. Everything is sorted out, so we're all good. They even cleaned your desk for you," Pietro said.

"We're here! Get out and go! I passed Miss Hill's car on the way here, so you don't have much time," Happy yelled.

The three of you rushed inside and Pietro pushed the elevator button and the three of you waited for a moment before he shook his head and started pushing you, "We don't have time! We have to take the stairs! Go!" All of you ran up as quick as you could, shouting out the floor numbers as you went until you reached the correct floor. You rushed into the studio and plopped down onto a leather couch, all of you completely out of breath.

You were just in time as Maria came through the door and glared at you, "Of course you had your Hollywood actor friends help you. They could have been at the party, but at least they're loyal." She looked around, checking if everything was done, "no wonder you're out of breath, you actually did a decent job for once."

"Thank you, Maria," you said, still panting. 

"You can leave now. Maybe you can catch the tail end of the party. It was a total drag anyway. Loki didn't even talk to me for a second then I find out that he was with some superhero Cinderella! I mean, how was I supposed to know that he was dressed as one of Batman's sidekicks? No one cares about them! I'll just apologize tomorrow," she was clearly intoxicated as she left. You sat in silence before the three of you burst out laughing.

"That was so thrilling! It was like we were actually living out one of our movies," Wanda said between laughs.

Pietro nodded, "We need to make this into a film because of my gosh that was exciting!"

You simply nodded, thinking about what Maria just said.

"So, superhero Cinderella, what was that about, Y/N?" Wanda asked.

"Yeah, were you cheating on us with Loki? Tell me that it's not true," Pietro pouted and clung to your arm.

You rolled your eyes with a smile, "I didn't know that it was Loki. If I did, I would have stayed away from him from the beginning. But still, he actually is a decent person, you guys. I told him a lot of personal stuff, and he told me a lot about himself as well. I really think that he's just misunderstood."

"Oh please, he was just trying to get into your pants, Y/N. It was probably just a bunch of lies," Wanda rolled her eyes.

"No, Wanda! That's the thing, he was being genuine about every single thing that he told me. I could tell that he's just trying his best to get people's attention to make up for the lack of it as he grew up."

"Y/N, Who cares about his daddy issues?" Pietro asked as he made a disgusted face.

"Me. I understand what he's feeling more than anyone," you snapped. The twins grew quiet and apologized. "It's fine, just take me home, so I can sleep."

**********

"Hello, Miss Hill. I'd like to apologize for my actions the other night; what I said was rude and uncalled-for. I guess I have nothing more than to blame it on the alcohol," Loki bowed and brought Maria's hand to his lips, "Forgive me."

She blushed like crazy and began to giggle like school girl, "Okay!"

You rolled your eyes at the pair and felt like you were going to puke in your mouth. Seeing that Loki returned to his normal Hollywood douchebag self brought you back to your senses after being basically hypnotized by his charm. The twins were probably right, he didn't mean a word that he said. It hadn't even been 3 days and it seemed like he had completely forgotten about you! What an ass! You put in a set of headphones to drown out their conversation and returned to your new sketch.

"Maria, it's been brought to my attention that you're best friends with the CEO of a very big gossip magazine, right?" Loki asked as he lifted a strand of her hair.

"Yes, that's right. Nick Fury is my closest friend." She answered him without even questioning it.  
"Excellent. Now, would you mind doing me a favor, dear?"

"Anything for you, Loki," she leaned in and whispered into his ear sensually.

Loki cupped her face in his hands and looked her in the eye, "I need you to ask him to get any information that he can on my superhero Cinderella. Can you do that for me?"

Thor scoffed, "Quit it already, brother. She would have reached out by now if she wanted to be found."

Loki pursed his lips and squeezed his eyes shut angrily. "Let's talk more about this in your office, huh?" He asked with a smile as he led her there and closed the door.

Thor smiled, satisfied that he pissed off Loki that much. His gaze shifted over to you and he smiled, making his way over to you with intentions to flirt with you until you got flustered. To him, it was so cute when you acted so awkward. "Hey, Y/N," he said to have no response. As he walked closer, he realized that you had earbuds in and were drawing a sketch of a truly gorgeous dress. He smiled and tapped your shoulder, causing you to jump and fall out of your chair. He laughed as he helped you stand up.

"Sorry, I didn't notice that you were trying to get my attention," you said as you took out your earphones.

He smiled sweetly and shook his head, "It was my fault. I should have been more sensitive about it. Still, it was cute hearing you yelp."

You felt your face warm up and you laughed nervously, "So, what's up? I didn't know that you'd be dropping in today."

"I'll be honest, I just really wanted to see you again. Especially since I didn't see you at the party. I thought I would see you there," he said, looking sort of dejected.

"Yeah, Maria kind of made me work until around midnight just to keep me from going. I'm really sorry," You replied, like a liar. Honestly, you'd forgotten about Thor that night because you were so preoccupied by Loki's charm.

"Oh, that's too bad, Y/N. I made plans to dance with you until the sun came up and tell you embarrassing stories about myself as a child, in hopes of getting to kiss you," he said with certain look in his eye.

You hopped onto your desk in a really awkward way, "Really? You want to kiss me? That's weird- Not that you're weird! It's just that you're really attractive and I'm like really not, so it's just weird to me that someone as pretty as you would want to kiss me because you're just so pretty with your and your beard that I would never think that you'd even be remotely attracted to me. I mean like, you're a total ten and I'm-"

You hadn't even realized that Thor had been coming closer to you until he pressed his lips to yours, grabbing your thighs to bring you closer to him. You wrapped your arms around him to deepen the kiss even more, allowing his tongue to dance around with yours. His warm breath against your face, the feeling of his hands grabbing your thighs, everything about this felt weird, but oddly right. You eventually pulled away from each other and laughed.

"That was a really nice way of telling me to shut up," you said with a giggle.

"It wasn't really a shut up, but more of an 'oh my gosh, it's so cute when you get all awkward' kind of thing."

"You really find my awkwardness cute?" You asked, genuinely confused as to why.

He chuckled and nodded, "It's humbling, honestly that a girl who could be a model if she wanted could be socially awkward."

"Oh please, I could never be a model. I'm not as pretty as girls like Wanda Maximoff and Natasha Romanoff."

"Are you kidding me right now? I'd love to see you model! Specifically in that dress I saw you sketching."

"You saw that? That's embarrassing... Miss Hill always told me that my dresses and ideas were horrible, so I don't really show people," you said as you picked up your sketchbook and showed him what you'd been working on.

"I think it's gorgeous. It's like a modern Victorian Cinderella dress. What gave you the inspiration?"

You tensed and tried to think of a lie as quick as you could, "Uh, I was just um... watching the movie last night and the idea just came to me."

"Really? You're really talented, you should pursue this," he said as he flipped through, looking at your other designs, "why haven't you?"

You sighed as you hopped down from your desk then walked over to the far back closet, surrounded by mannequins and clothing racks, and struggled to open the door, "Every single time I present them to Maria, she says she'll use them then stuffs them in here. I kind of just gave up on it. My friends keep asking me to make them something, but I'm always too afraid to do it." You shut it and walked back over to him.

Thor sighed and hugged you to his chest, "Y/N, make something for Loki. I'll make sure he wears it."

Maria scoffed as she exited her office with her hair a mess, "I don't think so. All her designs are trash. My stepdaughter is just an intern, Mr. Odinson. She has no real talent, she gets it all from me."

"Y/N is your stepdaughter? You could be sisters," Thor laughed.

"What can I say? Her father knew how to choose a trophy wife," Maria bragged.

You felt your eyes flood with tears from both rage and sadness and you stormed out before you could say anything that could jeopardize you.

"Y/N! Y/N wait," Thor yelled after a moment of processing what Maria had done. He glared at her, "You're a real bitch." After that, he ran after you, passing right by the closet you hid in.  
Just then Loki came out, fixing his tie, barely catching the tail end of the conversation, "What was that about?"

Maria shook her head with a smile, "Doesn't matter. Just intern trouble. You know how they can be."

Loki knew there was definitely more to the story, and he felt bad for you, but he needed Maria to find out who his Cinderella was, "So, what do you say Maria? Will you do it?"

"Anything to make you happy, Loki."

"Excellent," he said as he took out the mask from his pocket, studying it with a smile, "see you for my next shoot."

He didn't even bother to listen to Maria beg him to stay, he was hell-bent on finding you. That's all Loki wanted now. As he walked towards the elevators, he heard soft cries come from the broom closet and he stopped in his tracks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki finds you in the closet and helps cheer you up, only to be interrupted by Thor. The three of you even end up having dinner together.

As Loki approached the closet, he hesitated to open it. He hated it when girls cried when it wasn’t his fault, but he also wasn’t the best at comforting people either. With a quick confident breath and a brief nod, he wrapped lightly on the door, “Excuse me, are you alright in there?”

You jumped slightly, not expecting to hear Loki’s voice. “Uh, y-yes! I’m fine, Mr. Loki. You don’t need to concern yourself with me, sir,” you made a solid attempt to sound cheerful as you frantically sniffled and wiped your tears away.

On the other side of the door, Loki furrowed his eyebrows with concern and pressed his lips together, “Ma’am, I don’t think that you’re entirely telling me the truth.”

“Sir, I assure you that it’s nothing of importance,” you insisted.

“Now, by the looks of it, I don’t think that’s true,” Loki said gingerly as he opened the door, looking down at you before taking a seat next to you.

Your eyes were wide from shock and you instinctively backed away slightly to give him space, “Maria is going to kill me if she finds out I’m in a closet with you.”

He smiled slightly and put a hand on top of yours, “I assure you that Miss Hill will not know about this Miss…”

“Y/N, and please… no need for formalities, sir.”

He smiled wider and nodded, “Y/N. The same goes for you. Just Loki is fine.”

You couldn’t help but stare into his eyes as he spoke. He was acting completely different from he was with Maria, the look in his eyes was the same as the night of his party. As much as you enjoyed his kindness, you were very confused. Which one was the real Loki? The one with the kind heart or the one who treated women as nothing more than dolls to fuck.

“Now, if you would please tell me as to why you were crying, perhaps I can help.”

“Oh no,” you shook your head, “I doubt that it’s anything that you would really care to hear about.”

“I insist, Y/N. I am all ears for you if it means that I get to see you smile.”

With a deep sigh and a smile, you opened up, “Maria Hill, or Maria Hell as I call her, has been tormenting me for as long as I remember. For some reason though, my dad never saw how bad of a person that she is, and because of that… she’s my boss and treats me like I’m- I’m some toy that’s hers to throw around until I break. I have my own dreams and aspirations, but she stomps on them every time. You know how that feels like, right? To want to do your own thing to set yourself apart despite strong disapproval from those around you.”

Loki nodded and grazed his thumb against the palm of your hand, “Yes, I know the feeling all too well. Maria is definitely not someone I would call a good person, so why do you continue to work for her?”

Your grip on his hand tightened lightly, “I’ve worked too hard to give up now. This company is very important to me and I don’t plan on leaving it behind anytime soon.”

“I admire your tenacity, Y/N. It’s a trait that many people do not uphold nowadays.”

“Thank you. Now, if I’m allowed to ask: If you think Maria isn’t a good person, why did you just-”

“I have my reasons,” he took the mask out from the inner pocket of his blazer, causing you to quietly gasp, “thought I am not proud of the price I must pay, it seems that Maria Hell, as you put it, is my only way to find someone I can’t seem to stop thinking about.” He squinted trying to get a closer look at you, as he noticed an extreme change in your expression. For a moment, he thought you seemed vaguely familiar, but a large shadow loomed over him and obscured his view.

He looked up and rolled his eyes, “Hello, brother.”

“Loki, what are you doing in a closet?” Thor asked.

“Comforting a maiden in distress,” Loki motioned to you.

You stood up promptly and Thor pulled up into his chest

“I’m sorry that I was useless in finding you. Loki didn’t poison your mind with any of his seductive trickery, did he?” He cupped your face and looked into your eyes with a deep concern embedded in them.

As you were about to speak, Loki groaned and pushed himself off the ground, “Drop the dramatics. I did nothing of the sort, Thor. I was doing nothing more than trying to cheer her up, so would you please keep your overbearing hero complex at bay? You might overwhelm her.”

Thor lower his hands to your shoulders and you felt his strong grip tighten, “Oh please, Loki. You have no concern for anyone’s feelings other than your own. I can almost guarantee that once you find your ‘Cinderella,’ you’ll grow bored with her and move onto the next poor girl who falls for your disgusting charms.

“You really think so low of me?” Loki put his tongue to his cheek and looked from you to Thor.  
You stared at him with pity and wanted nothing more than to reassure him that there is more to him than just that. If anyone knew that he actually cared about people, it was you. But Loki didn’t know that. He didn’t know that the person he was searching so desperately for was standing right in front of him within the firm grip of his brother. As much as you felt that you should tell him, a fear within you rose that what Thor said might be true.

After a long moment of silence, Loki shook his head, “I hope that you enjoy his company more than mine then, Y/N.” He turned and made his way towards the elevators.

“Thor, you’re hurting me,” you finally said once you realized just how hard he was holding your shoulders.

His grasp finally loosened, and he let out a relieved breath, “I’m so sorry, Y/N. Loki just gets on my nerves so easily and his actions don’t help. I saw him with you and I just felt an anger rise within me.”

“I understand that, but you didn’t have to be so mean about it. He really was only trying to help.”

Thor sighed, “I’m sorry, but Loki can’t be trusted. He’s stolen countless girls from me, so it was kind of just me acting on instinct. I really am sorry if my actions upset you.”

You smiled and put your hand to his cheek, “It’s fine, but you really should be kinder to him. He’s just.... Misunderstood. I can tell that he’s really struggling with-”

“Misunderstood? This is the guy who trashed the most expensive hotel room in America and had my father pay for the damages. If he’s misunderstood, please explain to me what I’m not understanding.”

“Why are you so offended by me trying to defend him?”

“He’s done nothing but cause trouble his entire life! You don’t know him as well as I do, Y/N! Misunderstood is the last thing I’d use to describe Loki,” he shouted then instantly saw how scared you were and his expression softened, “Look, I’m sorry. He’s my brother, so I’m bound to be annoyed by him.”

“I think I understand.”

Thor nodded with a slight smile, “Good. Now, I think you should get back to work. I wouldn’t want to be the reason for Maria Hell to wreak havoc on you.” He pressed his forehead against yours.

“Alright. I’ll talk to you later then.”

“You wouldn’t mind having dinner tonight would you?”  
You shook your head with a smile, “I would love to have dinner with you, Thor Odinson.”

“Excellent, I’ll have a driver pick you up later.” With that, he gave you a peck on the cheek and smiled at you until the elevator doors closed on him.

Maria’s screeching laughter came from within her office which meant that she was on the phone with Nick Fury. Luckily for you, that meant that she’d be on the phone for hours. You sat back down at your desk and held your head in your hands, processing everything that happened within the span of twenty minutes.

You found out that Loki hadn’t given up on you and he was doing whatever it takes just to see you again. The thought of him looking for you made your heart melt, but that didn’t seem to sit very well once you remembered that you were just making out with his brother who held a burning hatred for him. You loudly groaned into your hands and slammed your forehead onto your desk.

“Is my favorite princess upset about something?” Pietro’s voice surprised you.

You looked up to see him sitting on your desk, and he waved at you. “Pietro,” you exclaimed while standing up to give him a hug, “why are you here?”

He shrugged, “I was supposed to have some filming to do, but the leading lady pulled out of the movie because she got knocked up by her pool boy and went into hiding. So now they have to recast and blah, blah, blah. So now I’m free until they want me to come in for a chemistry reading.” He smiled and lightly pushed your shoulder, “So tell me what’s going on. Your eyes are puffy and red, so that means you’ve been crying.”

You plopped back onto your spinning chair and groaned, “Where do I start? Oh, right, Loki was just here, and he ravaged Maria Hell in her office while I made out with Thor Odinson.”

Pietro’s draw dropped, and he laughed, “So you’re over Loki then?”

“Not entirely… there’s a lot more. He fucked her because he’s using her to find me. Plus, he was the one who found me crying in the closet. Loki actually really helped cheer me up, and he seemed so genuine about it, too.”

He tilted his head, “That’s a little out of character for him.”

You nodded, “Exactly. Then suddenly Thor comes in and tells Loki off for no reason, which made him storm off. I kind of provoked him a bit, and he got mad at me for defending Loki. He apologized though and asked me to have dinner with him tonight.”

“That’s even more out of character for the sweeter brother.”

“Both of them are so confusing, Piet. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, little Cinderella. As one half of your fairy godparent, I say that you go on this date and investigate,” he hopped down from your desk and crouched next to you to look up at you, “the only way to find your prince charming is to take a chance, Y/N.”

You smiled and hugged him, “Thank you, Pietro. Your advice is always the best. Sometimes better than Wanda’s. That’s why you’re my favorite twin.”

“And thank you for a face full of boobs, Y/N,” he nuzzled into your chest and you rolled your eyes, smacking him in the head.

“You’re the biggest idiot ever.”

He cupped your face in his hands and kissed your nose, “Yeah, but you love me.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“You’re too cruel to me,” he said, holding his hands on his heart as if you shot him.

“And for and award-winning actor, you suck at it,” you stuck your tongue out at him, and he pinched your cheeks really hard, causing you to shout in pain.

**********

The driver pulled up to the massive front steps of Thor and Loki’s home that you had seen just a couple nights prior. You made your way up the steps, remembering that you were being pulled down them the last time you were there. At least there were no dramatic camera flashes from paparazzi this time. Once you reached the top, you rang the doorbell only to be quickly ushered in by staff who didn’t speak a single word to you. They just brought you to the grand ballroom where the party was and left.

The room looked completely different when it was empty. You could actually see the tapestry on the walls and the gorgeous granite flooring. It was honestly quite a marvel to behold since you had no time to appreciate it the last time when you were tipsy and running away. The set of door that exit out, onto the balcony caught your immediate attention and you made your way towards them.

Once you opened the doors, a cold chill was sent down your spine by a sudden gust of wind as you stepped outside. You found yourself smiling while you recollected the fond moments you shared with Loki. Just imagining the music made you want to dance with him again. You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath of cold air.

“You look rather happy,” Loki’s voice came from behind you.

“Oh, Loki! What are you doing here?” you said while facing him as he sat where you were seated that night.

He smirked, “I could ask you the same question, Y/N.” To Loki, this situation was hauntingly familiar, but he brushed it off.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ask. It was purely instinct to respond that way.”

“You needn’t apologize. I’m sorry that I interrupted you, really. Let’s chat before my brother comes out to yell at me for no reason again. Are you feeling any better now?” He asked as he beckoned you to sit next to him.

“I definitely feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, so thank you for talking to me earlier. Still, I can’t help but feel like Maria is just toying with me.”

“Not at all. I hate seeing women cry, so it was my pleasure to help you smile again. Do you mind going into more detail?”

Her insults are nothing to me, but whenever she brings up my father I… I just can’t keep myself from crying. It pains me that he trusted her and not the daughter he raised. I feel like you can relate to that right?”

Loki nodded, “More than anyone else.”

“Oh that’s right, your father chose Thor over you to take over the company. I almost forgot about that.”

He raised an eyebrow, “How did you-”

“Y/N, there you are. Sorry it took me so long, I was in an important conference call. I hope Loki didn’t try anything on you,” Thor said once he opened the door and made his way to you.

You smiled, shaking your head, “Not at all. He was very well-behaved. Why doesn’t he join us for dinner?”

“What? No, I’m sure that Loki has his own plans for dinner. Isn’t that right brother?”

A wide grin spread across his face, “No, I don’t. I’d love to join the two of you.”

“I’m glad. Let’s head out then.” Thor put his arm around you and ushered you along, glaring at Loki before closing the door again.

Loki sat there, confused on how you knew that tidbit of information. He shook his head with a sigh, “Thor probably told her. He can never keep his mouth shut.” With that he followed after you.

**********

You attempted to smile and nod as Thor spoke, feeling all the watchful eyes on you. You could tell that you were well under dressed for the type of establishment that he dragged you to. In all honesty, you were hoping that he would see how uncomfortable you were. Then your gaze momentarily shifted to Loki. He seemed completely disinterested in whatever the hell Thor was talking about, and he was looking at something in his hand under the table, probably your mask. You looked back to Thor, and he was still going on and on about something you paid no mind to. Still, you continued to pretend you were listening as you quietly hoped that he would eventually notice how uneasy you were.

Loki’s sudden groan caused Thor to stop talking and shoot him a sharp glare.

“Is something the matter, Loki?” He said, trying to remain as calm as he possibly could.

“I’m sorry, but Y/N is very clearly uncomfortable with the venue that you’ve chosen to eat. If you were actually paying attention, you’d have noticed that people are stealing disgusted glances at her. I think that it would be wise that we chose somewhere else that Y/N would be more comfortable in.”

“Nonsense. You’re not uncomfortable are you, Y/N?” Thor asked you.

You looked at Thor as he stared at you with hopeful eyes then to Loki whose current expression was unreadable, but what he said was true so you sighed, “It’s true Thor. I can’t help but feel everyone’s eyes on me. It’s giving me really bad anxiety, actually.”

Thor glared across the table at Loki as his unreadable emotion remained unchanged, “This is unbelievable.”

“Don’t be upset with me, Thor. I’m not the one who chose an extremely high end restaurant.”

“How dare you-”

“Uh-uh. You shouldn’t lose your cool in a public setting. Especially since we have a guest with us.”

Thor glanced at you before squeezing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath. He seemed calmer once he opened them again and beckoned for the check. “You two can go ahead and wait in the car. I’ll pay for this really quick.”

“Are sure you don’t want me to stay?” You asked.

Loki placed a gentle hand on your arm, “I suggest that we do as he says, Y/N.”

You looked up and nodded, allowing him to take your arm and wait for Thor in an uncomfortable silence. “Thank you,” you finally said.

Loki smiled “It’s alright, Y/N. There’s no need to thank me. I noticed how uncomfortable you were and I simply couldn’t bear to watch any longer.”

“Why are you so nice to me?”

Your question caught him off guard, and he opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it. He bit his lip, trying to understand his own actions, “I-I honestly don’t know. It’s just like there’s this vaguely strange feeling of familiarity when I talk to you. I really don’t know…”

You heart seemed to skip a beat and you felt that it might be time to reveal to him that you were the girl he had been looking for.

Thor then entered the car with a smile, “Now that that’s all over and handled, let’s get you home, and we can have dinner another time.”

Loki’s bored expression returned, and he rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Let’s just hurry. I have an audition tomorrow.”

You furrowed your brows and leaned against Thor’s shoulder, feeling unaccomplished, “Yeah, I have work to do tomorrow anyway.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide that it's time to tell Loki that you're his Superhero Cinderella.

“Are you even listening to a word I’m saying?” Odin asked Loki, practically yelling.

He shifted the position in his seat, so he could lean on his hand and with the most uninterested expression on his face, Loki responded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize that you were talking. It seemed to me like you were throwing another hissy fit because Thor fed you misleading information, yet again. After I realized that, I sort of just chose to zone out, so summarize it for me, would you?”

Odin’s face flushed completely red with rage, and he swept all the contents from his desk, onto the floor with a bold shout.

Loki rolled his eyes with a deep sigh, “Are you done now?”

“Out! Get out of my office,” Odin yelled, pointing at the door.

Loki smirked, his eyes squinted as he swiftly stood up, “I was beginning to think you were never going to tell me that.” He left his father there and walked down the hallway with the same smirk printed on his face as people stepped aside for him. Then he came across a door that was slightly ajar and his smirk completely faded. He slipped into the room, quite as can be, and stared at his sleeping mother as he stood over her. Loki furrowed his eyebrows and moved his hand forward to caress her face. Alas, she stirred slightly which caused Loki to retreat and make for a quick exit. He stood outside his door, straightened his tie and off he went.

**********

“I don’t know why you think that a face mask will fix my problems, Wanda,” you said as she applied the activated charcoal goop to your face.

“It definitely won’t,” Pietro said as he fanned his dry then laughed when Wanda nudged him in the side with her elbow.

“Oh hush, Pietro. I’m not trying to fix your problems. All I’m doing is fixing the pores on your face,” she said as she focused on applying.

“Come on, Wanda. We both know that Y/N doesn’t need it. Remember when she modeled for Vogue that one time?”

“Boy, do I! I couldn’t even recognize her!”

You smiled and pushed her lightly, “That’s because of all the photoshop they had to do on my body to make me what they call ‘perfect.’”

Pietro groaned, “The industry is becoming too harsh on women. You’re already as perfect as can be in my eyes, right Wanda?”

“Absolutely. You’re gorgeous, Y/N. It’s really no wonder why both of Odin’s sons are after your heart,” Wanda agreed.

“Don’t even get me started on those boys,” you whined and pouted, “they’re both so confusing!”

Pietro sat down and hugged you from behind, “Then forget about them and be mine instead.”

Wanda pulled Pietro back by the hair, “Nice try, lover boy. You’re so annoying. That’s why I’m the favorite twin, right Y/N?”

“Right, Wanda.”

“What?” Pietro yelled, “Just earlier, you said I was your favorite twin!”

You shrugged, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I thought that we had something, Y/N. What happened to how you felt about me before? How could you?”

“And the Oscar winner for stupidly over dramatic goes to… my idiot brother!” Wanda said as she handed a stuffed animal to Pietro.

He laughed and sat back up, “So seriously, tell us what’s up with those two. Are you going to keep seeing Thor or tell Loki that you’re Robin?”

You hugged a pillow to your chest and sighed, “I really don’t know, you guys. Thor seems just as two faced as Loki, but Loki seems more genuine with his words. Plus, he pays attention to me. On the other hand, Thor already seems really enthusiastic about my sketches and said he could get Loki to wear one of my designs. Then with Loki, I feel kind of better around because we share a similar background while with Thor, he seems really nice, and he’s a great kisser.” They both looked at each other, then back at you and you shook your head with a shrug. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“You’re kidding right?” Wanda asked.

Pietro shook his head, “Y/N, most of what you said was about Loki.”

“And the things you’ve said about Thor were either about Loki or not even good reasons.”

“So what?” You asked.

“Honey, you’ve got it bad for the Playboy King of Hollywood!”

Pietro put a hand on your shoulder and tilted his head. “Hope you don’t mind sharing him with every wannabe actress and model, babe,” he said with a gentle tone.

“He’s not as bad as everyone makes him out to be, I promise,” you argued.

“So, you’re going to tell him that you’re the girl he’s been looking for then?” Wanda asked, patting your face lightly to check if your mask was ready to be removed.

“The only thing is that I don’t know how he’d react to me being… well, me.”

Pietro sighed, “Baby, if he’s not willing to take you, then I am.”

Wanda pushed him off the bed and shook her head, looking to you with a sympathetic smile, “Y/N, if Loki doesn’t like you for who you are, he’s not worthy of you.”

“Either way,” Pietro said as he sat back on the bed, “we’ll be here for you no matter what happens.”

“Thank you, guys. You two are the best fairy godparents ever,” you said bringing him in for a hug. “Pietro, get your hands off my boobs.”

Pietro laughed, “For once, that’s not me. Sis?”

Wanda gave them a squeeze one more time before moving them to wrap around you, “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

“The Maximoff twins are both idiots.”

**********

Maria hugged Nick, and they kissed each other on both cheeks, “Thank you so much for doing this on such short notice, Nick. You really are the greatest friend ever!”

“It’s my pleasure, Maria! What kind of best friend would I be if I didn’t help you get laid?” Nick replied as he sat down in the chair in front of Maria’s desk.

Maria intertwined her fingers with his across the desk and bit her lip, anticipating his news, “So what do you have Nick? Do you know who the Superhero Cinderella is?”

“Unfortunately, no. I do, however, know the identities of her two accomplices.” He opened up his suitcase and showed her a receipt, “All three costumes were purchased by the Maximoff twins. So if you want to find out who it is, then you’re going to have to hound down on the most loved twins in America. Besides the Sprouses, anyway.”

Maria glared and nodded, “No need. I know exactly who this bitch really is, and she is going down. Thank you so much for this, Nicky poo.”

“No problem, Maria bean. See you at brunch soon?” He asked as he started to pack up and leave.

“Same time as every week, dear,” Maria said with a devilish smile.

“Tata for now, Maria.” With that, he was gone.

Maria spun her chair around and overlooked the city, “You’re in for an absolute world of pain this time Y/N.”

*****

“Loki, I know how you’ve been looking for the girl you met at the party, and I just had to tell you that… it’s me. I was the Robin from that night,” you said hopefully. You sighed and shook your head, “that doesn’t sound right either.” As you entered the building, you saw that the elevator doors were about to close again and you ran, asking for whoever was in there to hold it.

Thor reacted quickly and held it open, glad to see you, “Good morning gorgeous. How lucky am I to run into the exact person I was looking for! I feel as if I haven’t spoken to you in a week.”

You pressed your lips together and took a deep breath, “That’s because I haven’t reached out to you in a week Thor.”

He smirked and pressed his hand against the wall, trapping you, “Then how about you and I have dinner tomorrow night? Alone and in a better place this time.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, so you ducked under his arms and walked backwards, “I’ll think about it. Maria’s probably going to have me working overtime tomorrow.”

Maria put her hands on your shoulders and smiled, “Nonsense! I was the one who told Thor that you’d be free tomorrow, Y/N.”

A shiver went down your spine and you had no choice, but to agree. You were completely trapped without any way of getting out. “Well, since I’m free-”

“She’ll be going to the fashion show with me,” Loki’s voice said from the door that led from the staircase, “you really should invest in faster elevators, Maria dear. It really is a bother having to wait so long, only to take the stairs.”

Maria’s grip on your shoulders tightened, “What do you mean she’s going to the fashion show with you?”

Loki rolled his eyes and pushed her hands off of you, sweeping away any lint, “I mean she’s going with me.”

“But I already asked her to go out to dinner with me,” Thor interrupted, “she was just about to say yes.”

“That doesn’t matter. I changed my mind, and she is working overtime,” Maria’s voice was slightly raised.

“That can’t be true, right Y/N? The choice is yours,” Loki said with a sneaky smile.

“If you agree to go with Loki, you’re fired,” Maria growled.

You looked from one person to the other until your eyes settled on Maria, “I’m so sorry, but nothing is worth risking my job here.”

Thor smiled, clearly attempting to hide his rage. But nothing could hide the vein throbbing on his temple. The man was so very obviously upset with your decision. “Of course, Y/N. A stable job is much more important than your social life.”

Loki glared at Maria, “Yes, I agree. If that is the case, then I’d like to schedule a photo shoot for tomorrow night, Maria.”

“You can’t do that,” Thor growled.

“Who’s to say I can’t? I’ll pay you much more than you usually ask for.”

Maria clenched her fists then let out a breath, “Fine! I’ll have a clothing line send me their next designs.” She turned around and stomped into the studio.

“Don’t you have a business meeting to attend to, Thor?” Loki turned to face his brother and his stare seemed like it could kill a man.

“You’re actually right for once, Loki,” he looked at you with a sweet smile and took your hands kissing it before retreating back into the elevator.

You let out a sigh of relief and smiled, “Thank you so much, Loki.”

He smiled and nodded, “Always happy to help a damsel in distress.”

“You always seem to come through at just the right time. Why do you help me so often?”

“You and I have a lot in common, Y/N. I’m just here to help you out.”

“You’re really not as bad as everyone says,” you said as you began to walk towards the studio with him, “what are you doing here anyway?”

“I came to ask Maria about her progress on finding my Superhero Cinderella, but I think today might have been a bad choice to come. I should get going soon.”

“Alright! Thanks again for always helping me,” you said with a nod.

“It’s nothing, really. Just reach out to me whenever you’re in a pickle, Y/N. I’ll always be the prince charming who comes to sweep you off your feet. See you tomorrow night.”

“See you tomorrow night, Loki,” you waved and entered the studio, setting everything down on your desk.

Maria laughed and strutted over to you, “You’re deceiving him, Y/N. That’s not very nice, now is it?”

“What are you talking about Maria?”

“Sure, girly. Just act like you have no idea what I’m talking about,” she said as she circled around you like a vulture, “I know your secret… Robin.”

“How did you,” you sighed, “Nick Fury really is your best friend.”

“That’s right, Y/N. Now, you’re not going to tell Loki, are you? Because if you do… you can kiss your money and position here goodbye.”

“Maria, you can’t do that!”

“Why not? Dear dead daddy left everything to me, his loving wife, not you dear Y/N. So be a good little girl and do as I tell you.”

You furrowed your eyebrows and squeezed your eyes shut as you managed to hold back your tears and utter, “Yes, Miss Hill.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are so many complications going on with both brothers as they drive you off the edge. After rejecting Loki's offer to take Maria down, the Maximoff twins decide to take matters into their own hands.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me right now, Hope,” Maria yelled into her phone, “I needed you tonight! Loki has been here, waiting here in my office for an hour and you’re too sick to be- okay, if you’re going to puke at least mute yourself. Whatever! I can just find someone else. Who wouldn’t want to model with Loki? Take care, Hope. Bye”

Loki stared at his perfectly manicured hands and sighed, “I’m going to assume that Miss Romanov is not coming tonight.”

“I’m afraid so. She got knocked up by her pool maintenance guy Scott or something. Anyways, I can just call someone else, so don’t you worry your handsome head, Loki.”

“No need. We already have someone here,” he stood up and smiled.

Maria blushed, “Oh, Loki! How can I model and take pictures-”

“I wasn’t referring to you, Miss Hill.”

She tilted her head, “But there’s no other woman here aside from Y/N, and she’s hideous. Last time she was on a magazine cover, they photoshopped the hell out of her! You can’t expect me to have to do that, right?”

“No, I don’t. Because she doesn’t need any of that,” Loki said with a smirk.

“Okay, but why Y/N?” Maria asked.

“Miss Hill, you and I are both very aware that Y/N is worth much more than being an intern. I’ve seen her designs. Either you can treat her better, or I tell her and ruin your career all together.”

Maria glared, “That still doesn’t answer why you’re helping her. You still want to find out who your Superhero Cinderella is don’t you?”

“I know for a fact that you’ll still help me and the both of us know very well why. You hid the fact that-”

You knocked on the door and peeked your head in, “I don’t mean to bother your discussion, but the clothes from the department haven’t arrived and I called the head, but they seem to have gone home for the night.”

Maria groaned, “Great! That’s just great! Now we’re all just here wasting time. Fuck it! Go home everyone! Go home! What a fucking mess.” She shouted and pushed people before grabbing her things and storming out.

You waited for everyone to leave then started cleaning up the mess they left. You hadn’t even noticed that Loki was watching and waiting for you at your desk until you were done. “Loki, why haven’t you gone home yet?”

“Y/N, be honest with me. Do you like me as a person?” Loki asked as he went through your sketchbook.

You gripped your purse strap as the nerves began settling in, “Well, you’ve been nothing but kind to me, so yes.”

“See, that’s what I don’t understand. Girls like you, I usually don’t even give the time of day. Most girls with your looks swoon over me and bend to my every will. But your timidness reminds me of how I used to be, so I want to help you.”

You shook your head, “I’m still lost. What do you mean?”

Loki stood up and placed a hand on your shoulder, making your heart beat rapidly, “Y/N, I know.”

Your face grew very warm and your clutch on your purse tightened, “And what exactly do you know?”

He smiled and took a deep breath, “I know that you’re the rightful head of this company, and will do everything I can to help you take down Maria.”

That wasn’t at all what you wanted to hear, but it was still something. You smiled and hung your head, softly laughing at first then it erupted.

“What’s so funny?” Loki asked, very deeply confused.

“You want to help me take down one of the biggest moguls in Hollywood? Loki, as much as I like the sound of that, you might have many allies that can help you, but Maria is best friends with social media giants. They can dig up anything, no matter how far back, and use it to destroy you with the snap of a finger,” you snapped to set an example, “just like that. I appreciate the thought, Loki, but there’s no way I can win.” You caressed his face with your thumb and shook your head, grabbing your things and making your way for the door.

“Y/N, wait. There’s still one more thing,” Loki turned you around and held your shoulders, looking intensely into your eyes. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, “I want you- no I need you to tell me something.”

“Whoa, is Loki harassing the woman I’m seeing?” Thor asked, leaned against the doorway, “Alert the media! He’s after a girl who actually doesn’t like him for once.” He pulled you away from Loki and wrapped his arms around you.

“What are you doing here?” Loki asked, clearly annoyed that Thor always interrupts at the worst times.

“I figured that Y/n might want some pleasant company rather than the snakes that seem to plague her life.”

You pulled away from Thor, “That’s enough! Both of you need to leave me alone. I’m not some damsel in distress that you need to protect constantly. Who do you think looked after me before you came along? Just stop your constant bickering, alright? You’re both so completely irritating!” You shouted and your voice echoed throughout the studio.

“Are you okay, Y/N? Something seems to really be bothering you,” Thor tilted his head.

“Did you not hear a word I just said? Leave. Me. Alone!” With that, you stormed out and waited for the elevator awkwardly as they both walked up on both sides.

“Do you need a ride? It looked like everyone had already left,” Thor insisted.

You rolled your eyes and went down the stairwell instead.

“This is all your fault.”

Loki scoffed, “My fault? You’re really blaming me for this?”

“You’re the one who’s always trying to steal my girls!”

“You think I’m attracted to Y/N? There’s no way in hell! I just want to help her take her rightful place! It’s fairly obvious that I want nothing more than to find the girl from my party.”

“Sure, I’ll believe you when pigs fly. Host another party, why don’t you?” Thor suggested with the roll of his eyes.

**********

“So, you don’t like either of them then?” Wanda asked.

You kicked your legs under the water as you sat next to the pool and sighed, “I do. I really like Loki and I thought that it was so sweet of him to try to help me.”

“Then why did you react that way?”

“I would love nothing more than to see Maria Hell go down, believe me, but it’s my Mom and Dad’s company on the line. Who is to say that everyone would be happy with my in control of everything?”

“But isn’t that the reason why you’ve stayed with Maria?”

“Well yeah, but now that it can become a reality, I’m scared you know? I could totally end up destroying everything if I can’t get clients or if nobody likes my designs.”

Pietro emerged from the water and shook his head, “Not ever going to happen. We love your designs, and we would be your most loyal clients.”

Wanda nodded, “And if you have us, you have the support of many others. Everyone loves us, remember? Which reminds me, let’s never go back to that costume shop, Pietro.”

“Agreed.”

You smiled and leaned against Wanda’s shoulder, “You guys really think that I could do it?”

She wrapped her arms around you and squeezed lightly, “We know you can.”

“And we’ll be there for you for every single step of the day,” Pietro said, hugging your legs, “I know exactly how you can start. Just let Wanda and I take care of it.”

**********

“Great to see you, Clint,” Bucky said, offering his hand.

Clint laughed and shook his hand firmly, “How long has it been?”

“Two years since you did that buddy cop movie together, babe,” Natasha answered Clint. She kissed Steve on the cheek, “Hey, Steve.”

Steve smiled and hugged Natasha, “You look as beautiful as ever.”

“Wanda,” Loki said with a glare.

“Loki,” She responded, a scowl on her face.

Pietro smiled and placed his hands flat on the table, “Lets all play nice. For Y/N’s sake.”

“I agree, so what exactly is your plan?” Thor asked.

Pietro nodded at Wanda, and she placed six folders on the desk. He smiled at all everyone and motioned for them to open them, “As you know, we are some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Though some of us aren’t as friendly with each other, there is something we have in common. We all share a very strong hatred for Maria Hell.”

“Is that what this is about? I thought you were going to set one of us up with your sister,” Bucky stated in a joking tone.

“I wouldn’t have come if that was the reason,” Loki snapped at him.

Wanda let out a loud scoff. “You think I would want to be with you? You can’t even figure out that Y/N-”

Pietro cleared his throat and threw his hand over Wanda’s mouth, “As I was saying: We all dislike Maria for many reasons. Well, I don’t know about Loki, but-”

“I fucked her to find out who my Cinderella is. Nothing more than that. She truly is a vile woman.”

“Oh yeah, and how did that work out for you?” Natasha spit at him.

“Can you please just hurry up and get to the point, Pietro?” Clint asked politely.

Pietro smiled at him and let out a breath of relief, “Of course. Loki had the grand idea of taking her down and I think that we have the power to do it. Only if we work together.”

Loki furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward, “But Y/N said-”

“We know what she said, Loki, but we had a talk last night, and she’s all for it.”

“How exactly do you plan on taking Maria down?” Steve asked.

“I’m glad you asked. If you would all turn to the fourth page, you’ll find outfits designed by her step daughter, Y/N.”

“Y/N… that’s the sweet girl who helped repair my dress during a photo shoot when Maria tore it, right?” Natasha smiled, remembering your kindness.

“She even gave up her lunch for me when she saw that I was going to pass out from hunger,” Bucky added.

Thor smiled and let out a sigh, “She may be mad at me, but I’d love to help you make her happy.”

“So everyone is in then?” Wanda asked excitedly, a smile wide across her face.

“Yes, but how is wearing her designs going to help? They’re beautiful, but nobody is going to know her name,” Steve stated and everyone nodded to each other.

“That’s where you’re wrong. She took on her mother’s maiden name: Y/L/N, and I can guarantee that you know that name very well.” The six of them smiled, remembering your mother and all that she did for them while she was still alive. “Just mention that and people are going to be begging for gowns and suits made by her. We’ll get them out there by wearing them to red carpet event two weeks from now. By then, Y/N will have all of your outfits ready and her name will be heard across America.”

**********

You let out a sneeze and wiped your nose, “Maybe night swimming in the cold was a bad idea.”

“Hey, Y/N. Was that a sneeze that I heard?” Maria asked, poking her head out from her office.

“Yes, Maria. It’s a thing that people do.”

“Ew. Go home. You’re probably infected with something gross and I don’t want anyone else catching it.”

“You’re giving me a day off?” You were in total disbelief from hearing Maria actually say something along the lines of letting you go home.

“Yes. Just stay away for the next few days, actually. I’ll make sure it’s paid, too.” Maria pushed you out and threw you your things then shut the door behind you.

You stood there for a moment then shrugged. A day off is a day off.

Maria made sure you were gone and gave someone a call, “You’re sure that this is going to make sure she stays out of my hair forever?”

“I’m positive,” Thor responded, “I can have her as mine and you can have my disappointment of a younger brother.”

“Excellent. I’ll have them done by Next Tuesday. It’s a pleasure working with you, Thor.”

“Don’t mention it. Like actually, don’t. I will make sure I end your career if you do.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation Take Maria Down is a full go.

You settled down in your sofa and let out a long breath of relief. It was a deserved rest since you had been working nonstop on the outfits to make sure they would be ready by the red carpet event. Maria had been rather nice to you by letting you take all this time off while you faked a really bad cold. It was out of character, but Loki insisted that it was genuine since he told her to be nicer. And because Maria tended to listen to Loki, you believed him.

Speaking of Loki, he had truly turned his habits around because he was so focused on finding you. Apparently Maria told him that Nick couldn’t find any information on you whatsoever. It was total bullshit, but that’s Maria for you. At least he stopped fucking her because of that. Still, Loki was dedicated on finding you. He started blocking the women who were hitting him up when they were in town. Loki even went as far as going on a talk show host to tell you to reveal yourself. After that, he just deleted his social media apps for a while because so many people were claiming to be you. As much as you wanted to tell him now, since it was literally the perfect time, you were terrified of what might happen this late in the game. 

You knew Loki now. He was kind and considerate, but put on a show for everyone else just to get back at his dad. You guessed right from the beginning. There was nothing bad about him. That was the problem though. It made it so much harder for you not to tell him because he was so hell-bent on finding you. You were right in front of him, and he didn’t have a clue. For that reason, you wanted to tell him more than ever because you had grown so close.

Suddenly, your doorbell rang and broke you free from your jail cell of deep thoughts. You hopped onto your feet to look at who it was through your camera system to see that seven of nine people had arrived. For a moment, your heart skipped a beat. Not from seeing anyone, but because your dream of people wearing your designs was becoming a reality. Of course this was not the first meeting with them. You had met with each of them individually to take their measurements and to go over if they wanted to add a little personal touch to their outfits. Everything that happened helped you become much more confident and you even found that you weren’t as clumsy as you were previously. This time felt completely different because the second that you open the door, there was absolutely no turning back.

“Good evening everyone,” you said as you swung open the door, welcoming them inside. They all greeted you as they filed in, each person closer to you than your friends in high school. Of course, you never thought that your friends would be A listing celebrities, but it all felt so natural to be around these people. Once they settled down in the meeting room, you took a deep breath, “So good news is that everything is on track for the premiere!”

“If there’s good news, that means there’s bad news,” Bucky stated, “is something wrong?”

You slumped your shoulders and sighed, “I’m nervous, guys. What if you guys wear these then nobody likes them.”

“Sweetie, you’re going to be just fine. We love them, so everyone else will too,” Natasha reassured you.

Steve nodded and held your hand, caressing it with his thumb, “Y/N, everyone is going to love you.”

“You guys are taking our job, and I don’t feel comfortable with that,” Pietro said as he slapped Steve’s hand away and hugged you from behind, causing Clint to laugh.

“It’s not our fault that Y/N is compatible with all of us,” Clint shrugged and Natasha nodded, clinging to his arm.

Wanda then stood up, “Speaking of compatibility, Thor is still pulling hard on that bait, so the decoy designs we gave you during the first meeting will be worn by Maria’s goons who arrive before you like Drax and Nick Fury. Therefore, they’ll end up on the worst dressed list! Maria will be so broken that she’ll have to quit!”

You nodded, “That’s right. Now, would you like to see your outfits before Thor and Loki arrive?”

They all nodded and you clapped your hands together in excitement as Pietro wheeled in the clothing rack. As you displayed each of them, they gave very positive feedback. It really started to settle in that this was happening. You were going to take Maria down with the help of the biggest faces in Hollywood. The doorbell rang and Pietro wheeled the clothing rack away while Wanda brought in the decoys while Bucky went to answer the door.

“Nice of you to join us,” you said to Loki.

He smiled and winked at you discreetly, “Right on time for the meeting.”

“I don’t understand how all of you come before us every time. I always think that we were early this time, but I guess not,” Thor said while giving you a peck on the lips which you dodged and had his lips land on your cheek instead.

You gave him the most convincing smile you could and started talking about the fake plan, “So, basically the only way for me to take control of the company is for this to work. I just want to thank every single one of you for doing this for me. I really appreciate it.”

“Anything to help you out, Y/N,” Steve replied and everyone nodded in agreement.

“And to bring Maria down to put the company in the hands of the rightful owner,” Wanda added.

You nodded, “That’s right. Then I can start producing our own clothing line like we once did before. With your help, we can restore this company to its full glory. Let’s prove my father wrong for giving it to her… and to honor my mother. May they both rest in peace.”

There was a moment of silence before Wanda spoke, “Now, let’s discuss what you’re going to wear Y/N.”

Pietro instantly stood up, “I say that you wear that Cinderella dress you’ve been sketching out!”

Your eyes widened and you shook your head, “I shouldn’t. I can’t. Nobody wants to see me.”

“Nonsense,” Natasha said, “The people would love to see the person who made all of our beautiful clothes.”

After lots of discussion and gossip, the meeting came to an end and everyone started to file out.

“You were great today, sweetheart,” Thor said, leaning in for kiss.

“Oi, don’t touch my princess,” Wanda said, pulling you away from him and into the arms of her and Pietro.

“Excuse me?” Thor clenched his fists and Loki placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Watch your temper, brother. People are watching,” Loki said, a smirk clearly displayed on his lips.

Thor shook him off and began to walk away then Wanda squeezed your shoulders, “Oh man, I totally forgot something in the meeting room. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll help you look for that thing, too,” Pietro said, following right after her.

You closed your eyes and pressed your lips together as Loki said, “Must be a really important thing.”

“Clearly, it is,” you said with a sigh.

“Y/N, do I seem stupid to you?” He asked, leaned against the door.

You shook your head, “No, I know that you’re smart. You basically sparked this revolution.”

“Then I’d like to ask you if you’d like to be-” He slowly moved his hand towards your face.

“Loki come on! You’ve got a movie to audition for,” Thor yelled, very audible from over the hedge.

Loki pulled his hand back and shook his head, “It’ll have to wait. See you soon, Y/N.” He smiled and nodded before walking away.

“Well that was a bust,” Pietro said from behind you.

You turned around and glared at him, “I’m going to murder you both.”

“Run?” Wanda asked Pietro.

He nodded, “Run.”

**********

Loki sat down on his mattress and a pair of feminine arms wrapped around him, and he sighed.

“What’s the matter, baby?” Jane asked as she hugged him tighter.

“Jane, what the fuck are you doing here?”

She shrugged and kissed his neck, “I missed you. You’ve been ignoring me and I don’t like it.”

“Get out of my room,” he demanded.

“Loki-”

“Jane. Leave.”

She sighed and slipped off the bed, “You’re really obsessed with a girl who obviously doesn’t even want to be found.”

Loki didn’t even respond to her and took off his tie, lying down to stare at the ceiling.

Jane flipped him off before leaving his room and bumped into Thor. For a moment, they stared into each other’s eyes until Thor looked away.

“Here to see Loki?” He asked, trying his best to sound strong.

She nodded with a sigh, “He’s still going crazy over a girl he shared a single kiss with. It’s kind of dumb. I think she’s the stupid, too if she’s still not hitting him up.”

“Oh, she’s much closer than he thinks.”

“What do you mean? Do you know something?”

Thor shrugged and walked past her, “Even if I do, what good would that do you?”

“Why don’t you just tell him, so he can get over her already?”

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, “Why don’t you get over the fact that Loki doesn’t want you? Besides, it feels good to have something over him for once. Huh, Jane?”

Jane’s breath hitched, and she shook his head, “This is why he hates you.” She hurried down the hall and left Thor alone.

“Y/N will be mine this time,” Thor said to himself.

**********

You felt your head bob up and down as you tried your very best to stay awake while hand stitching some final details on Wanda’s gown. Even though you wanted so badly to go to sleep, Maria was forcing you to come back to work tomorrow, so you had to get it all done tonight. Once you couldn’t resist anymore, your head rested on your table and you felt your consciousness drift away. Then the doorbell rang, causing you to shoot up, “Your iced coffee is ready, Maria!” You shook your head and yawned as you left your workstation to answer the door.

“Don’t you look pretty?” Loki asked as he stood there with a goofy grin.

His voice instantly woke you up fully and you slightly jumped, “Loki, what are you doing here? It’s like 2 in the morning! Come in!”

He stepped inside and followed you into the living room, “Sorry to bother you, but I couldn’t sleep.”

“So you came to my house?” You tilted your head and plopped onto your couch.

“You’re the only person who I think would understand my current problem,” he said as he sat down next to you.

“What’s going on?”

“You told me before that you used to act out before your mother passed away, right?”

“Well, yeah. I felt entitled to everything because my parents were rich powerhouses, so I acted the same way you do. Why?”

He sat straight up and stared at you with a smile.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Y/N, you yourself didn’t tell me that,” he took the mask out from his pocket and placed it on your face, “Robin did.”

Just then you shot up and looked around, finding yourself in your bed. The sun was shining outside and you sighed, “Oh thank goodness it was just a dream.” You smiled and laid back down.

Pietro stretched and hugged you close to him, “What was just a dream.”

“Pietro, why are you shirtless in my bed? Actually, don’t answer that. I’m probably still dreaming.”

Wanda wrapped her leg around you and snuggled against your torso, “Nope, not a dream. We came over at 3 am and you fell asleep at your workstation, so Pietro carried you to bed. You were talking in your sleep, and we thought it was cute to listen to.”

“After that, we decided to stay here since you asked as to come in… in your sleep,” Pietro continued.

“Guys, I dreamt that Loki figured out that I was Robin,” you explained.

“Really? How did he react?” Wanda asked curiously.

“I woke up the moment it happened, so I don’t know.”

Pietro propped his head up and kissed your forehead, “Maybe that means you should finally tell him. He’s obviously dead set on you. Robin and you. Both yous.”

“You think so?”

Wanda nodded, “He hasn’t fucked a single one of his new costars. That’s a big change for the Playboy King. You tamed him with one kiss. Maybe I can get some of that love.” She puckered up and pretended to try to kiss you.

“Me too please!” Pietro began to imitate his twin.

You chuckled and shook your head, “I will never have friends as great as you.”

**********

You started prepping the room for whoever was coming to model today and placed ice coffee on Maria’s desk. All you could think was that when you have an assistant, you would never treat them the way Maria treated you as you labeled the different outfits for each client. 

“Oh, Y/N. Just the girl I’ve been looking for,” Maria said with and mischievous smile, “I need you to bring these papers down to Leslie in marketing please.”

“Sure. Seems easy enough,” you said as you grabbed them.

You took the stairs down a level and smiled and waved as you passed by a few familiar faces who had been working with the company since you were young. Once you got to Leslie’s door, you opened it and to your surprise, Loki was there. Not only was he there, but his tongue was down Leslie’s throat while he was pinned against the wall. You instantly turned around and felt tears sting your eyes. “Sorry to bother you. I just needed to bring these down,” you struggled to put the folder on top of the closest cabinet, “Okay. Carry on.” With that, you shut the door and ran for the stairs again.

“Y/N, come back! It’s not what it looks like,” he yelled as he chased after you.

“No Loki, it’s totally alright. It’s all to find your Cinderella right? Because nothing else matters if it means that you find her,” you said with tears in your eyes.

Loki grabbed your wrist and turned you around, “Y/N, she came onto me! I didn’t initiate the kiss! She’s the one who pinned me to a wall. I would never go back to being the way I was.”

“Why? Because you’re so focused on finding your Robin?”

“Because you changed my mind,” he said seriously.

“What?” You asked, relaxing your arm from the pure shock of hearing him say those words.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All truths are revealed as everything falls into place.

“Y/N, I’m in love with you,” Loki said with the desperateness in his voice nearly causing his voice to crack. His words seemed so loud that they echoed throughout the entire stairwell.

You shook your head and pulled your hand back, “No, you’re still in love with your Robin, Loki.” You continued up the stairs, but Loki ran faster and ended up in front of you.

He grabbed your shoulders and looked you in the eyes. “I am in love with you, Y/F/N. I quickly realized that after our first encounter in the closet, but I thought it was only because you reminded me so much of my Cinderella. Then I got to know you.”

“Loki, you said it yourself; I’m not anything like the girls that you usually go for. This is probably just another phase for you and you’ll move on just as fast as you fell,” you said, almost at an angry tone.

“Why are you trying so hard to reject me. Y/N?”

“Why?” You shook your head, “I’ve been in front of you this whole time and you didn’t even realize it! You were searching so long and hard for me and you just couldn’t put two and two together. Then you go and tell me that you’re in love with me?”

“What are you talking about?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowed as you tried to push him away.

“You asked me if I thought you were stupid and now my answer is yes,” you grabbed the mask from his pocket and put in on yourself, “you are the most stupid man I’ve ever met, Loki Laufeyson.”

The realization began setting in and Loki simply stared at you, “It was you all this time? Why didn’t you tell me?” He said, sitting you down next to him and removed your mask.

“I didn’t think that you would’ve accepted me as the truth because you rejected so many women much prettier than I. Then when I did want to tell you, Maria threatened to fire me if I did.”

“I feel so idiotic now. How could I not have noticed? Well, honestly… I think you were right. I wasn’t willing to accept the truth, so I pretended that I didn’t know the answer. Then I made up this idea of the girl I wanted and disassociated her from you, but in the end… I fell for you either way.”

“That made absolutely no sense to me,” you admitted.

Loki chuckled and cupped your face, “The basis of it is that I love you. I love you as Robin and I love you even more as Y/N.”

You felt your face grow warmer and a smile slowly crept across your face, “You really mean it?”  
He smirked and leaned in, allowing your lips to meet for the first time in what felt like forever. The way his tongue moved with yours, his warm breath against your face, the feeling of his hands gently cupping your face… all of it seemed so perfect and so right. It was almost like the fireworks were going off again, just like the very first time. The moment you pulled away, you could feel that Loki tried to chase after the kiss and that made you chuckle.

“So, you’ve got to by a big nerd if you know who Stephanie Brown and Carrie Kelley are,” you said, nudging his shoulder affectionately.

Loki rolled his eye and kissed your forehead, “You must be an idiot if you were wearing shorts in that cold weather.”

“Hey! Pietro and Wanda were the ones who wouldn’t let me wear the tights!”

“Wait, the Maximoffs knew who you were and didn’t tell me? I knew Wanda hated me from the beginning!”

“Uh, let’s change the subject. Are you ready for Saturday?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. You deserve to sit on a throne, my dear Cinderella, and this will make sure that you do… as long as he doesn’t mess anything up.”

You sighed and leaned against his shoulder, “I have to get back to work now. If I’m gone for too long, Maria will be suspicious.”

Loki sighed and nodded, “Alright, but make sure you act sad and dejected. I’m positive that Maria is the one who instructed Leslie to put the moves on me.”

“You got it, boss man,” you said as you slapped your knees and pushed yourself to stand up.

“I’ll see you at the final meeting tomorrow night, Y/N,” Loki said, planting a quick peck on your lips before parting ways.

“What took you so long, Y/N? I thought you said delivering a file would be easy,” Maria asked coldly.

You wiped away tears that you managed to muster up and shook your head, “I’m sorry Maria. I just… tripped on the stairs. I didn’t mean to take so long.”

“Honey, you’re a terrible liar. Did something happen?”

“Why do you care? Don’t you hate me or something? I thought you’d be glad to see me sad, rub it in a little maybe.”

Maria rolled her eyes and acted as sympathetic as she could, “I know I haven’t always been the best step-mom, but this is a start right? Tell me what’s wrong.”

As you began to sob, you hoped that she was buying it, “I never should have gone to that party. I wish I never met Loki! He’s the biggest asshole on the face of this planet.”

“That’s why I tried to keep you away, sweetie! He’s bad for you! Do you want me to call Thor, so he can take you out to lunch? I bet that’d cheer you up, huh?”

You nodded and wiped away your tears, “Thank you so much Maria.”

She smirked evilly and raised a brow as she called Thor while rubbing your back comfortingly, “It’s no problem, Y/N. I am trying to be a better step-mom after all.”

********

Loki entered the recording studio with a smile on his face and greeted everyone who passed by him. Everything was right in the world now. For his entire life, only bad seemed to follow him, but now… things were looking up. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin his day now.

“You seem mighty chipper today. Whose heart did you break this time?” Thor asked when he stood behind Loki while getting his makeup done.

He rolled his eyes then sighed, “I didn’t break any hearts, believe it or not. I just… heard some good news is all.”

“Whatever, I know for a fact that that’s just bullshit. Just call me when you’re done shooting for today. I’ve got lunch with Y/N to cheer her up for breaking her heart,” Thor said with a goofy grin.

“I don’t care. Just leave,” Loki replied with a glare. He watched and waited until Thor left to text you. “Lunch w/ Thor? Really?”

“It was Maria’s idea! Not mine,” you texted back.

“Just make sure he doesn’t do anything to you.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be in public and I know he won’t try anything with so many people around.”

“I think he might be up to something if Maria is the one who planned this, so be alert.”

“You got it, dude.”

Loki chuckled and shook his head, “You’re really quoting Full House right now?”  
“What? I thought that it was apropiate.”

“I think you meant appropriate.”

“Whatever, grammar police.”

“Just do your best to stay safe, alright?”

“I will, Nightwing. Batman and Huntress would murder Thor if anything goes wrong.”

“Well… I wouldn’t mind them killing him.”

“Omg, you’re such a nerd.”

“Mhmm. I have to start filming now, so ttyl Robin. I love you.”

“I love you too, Nightwing. Hope you have fun.”

“I hope you don’t.”

“Tanks.”

“Thanks.*”

“GO AWAY!”

“You love me, Y/N.”

“Uh-huh.”

**********

“Thanks for cheering me up, Thor. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to hang out with me,” you said as you entered the elevator.

“Of course! Accompanying the girl I fancy after her heart was broken by my bastard of a brother,” he said, trying his best to make sure you knew it was a joke.

You chuckled and nodded, “Yeah, again, I’m really sorry about that. I should have listened to you from the beginning.”

“You really should have, but I forgive you.”

“Gee, thanks Thor,” you stated, trying not to sound so robotic.

Thor then took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his head, “Look, I don’t think we should go through with this plan.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Y/N, I just don’t think it’s going to work. I’m going to be completely honest with you right now. I leaked the designs to Maria so that whoever she’s designing for walks out before we do, so that it would look like you copied her designs that were actually your designs,” he explained right as the elevator doors opened up.

This wasn’t news to you since that was literally the plan. You knew that Thor gave Maria the decoy designs, but you had to make your reaction realistic. With one deep breath, you simply closed the elevator doors and made sure the elevator wasn’t moving anywhere by pressing the emergency stop button, and acted angry as best as you could, “How could you, Thor? I thought we were all in this together! Everyone of us bonded over the past week and a half and that meant nothing to you?”

“Y/N, please calm down. I didn’t mean any harm by it!”

“Didn’t mean any harm, my ass! I was counting on you! On all of you to keep your head in the game! To take down Maria Hell! You know, the woman who has been tormenting me since even before she married my father? Then you tell me that you were working with her this entire time.” You pressed the button again and stepped out of the elevator.

“Y/N, I really didn’t mean to hurt you… I’m truly sorry.”

You shook your head and glared at him as you pressed the button to the bottom floor for him, “Don’t even bother coming to the meeting tomorrow. I’m just going to tell everyone that I’m not going through with the plan.” You continued to glare at him until the elevator door closed then let out a sigh of relief. “God, that was difficult. How do they all do that for a living?” You asked yourself quietly as you walked into the studio.

“Hello dear, how was your date? Did your arm candy cheer you up?” Maria asked sweetly.

Great more acting. “The jig is up Maria! I know you are planning on humiliating me at the premiere, but that’s not happening. My plan is off.”

Maria groaned and threaded her fingers through her hair, “Thank God! Being nice to you was so hard!”

“You literally have only said literally about nine sentences worth of nice things.”

“I know! Talk about over exerting myself. Anywho, there’s some girl named Jane who’s here to see you,” she said motioning to a girl sitting at your desk before retreating into her office.

You walked over to Jane and smiled, “Uh, hi! Do I know you?”

Jane turned around in your chair and smiled. “No, but I know you,” she offered you her hand, “the name is Jane Foster. Ex Girlfriend of Thor and now, because of you, ex lover of Loki.”

You giggled uncomfortably and shook her hand, “How exactly did you know that?”

“Thor really isn’t the greatest at keeping secrets,” she explained, “that’s the reason why he and I broke up in the first place. He knows that your Loki’s Cinderella, and I happen to think that you’re really stupid for being this close and not telling him. But that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to ask you to help me.”

“What can I possibly do to help such a delightful person?”

“I’m glad you asked. I want Thor back. You can have Loki.”

“Okay, come again?”

She rolled her eyes and stood up, “Look, Y/N… The only reason I ever started seeing Loki was to get back at Thor. Loki never ever did anything with me out of respect for his brother. We just played porn noises really loudly and played Mario Kart instead. We were still naked, but we still didn’t do anything. I mean, Loki is honestly just a huge nerd. Props to you for dressing as Robin, by the way.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions. Um, how can I put this in a way that sounds simple? Oh, right. Dump Thor and I’ll be there to comfort him!”

You scoffed and took her place in your seat, “Now might be the best time. I really hammered into him in the elevator.”

Jane smiled and started to run for the exit before stopping to look at you one more time, “Hey, Y/N… Thor might be a bit of a basket case, but he’s really not a bad guy. He’s just… a little broken. Just… just watch out for yourself okay?”

You nodded and pressed your lips together, “I will heed your warning, Jane Foster.”

**********

The collective clinking of champagne glasses and cheers of celebration filled your ears. You smiled and nodded as they chanted for you to give a speech. “Alright, alright. Recently, I’ve had to go through a shit ton of hardships. Like acting for example. I know you guys are all actors and such, but oh my gosh do I have to give you so much credit! It was difficult just trying to keep a straight face! It was all worth it though because now Thor is out of our hair and Maria is totally unprepared for the havoc we will wreak tomorrow! So let’s raise a glass to freedom!”

“To freedom,” they all said while raising their glasses then taking a drink.

Loki smirked and grabbed your back pocket to spin you around and place a kiss on your lips, causing everyone to either cheer or spit out their champagne… okay, Pietro spit out his champagne.

“When did that become a thing?” Clint asked.

You wrapped your arm around Loki’s waist and giggled, “Well, I’m the superhero Cinderella he had been looking for so…”

“Y/N finally told me and now we’re together. Well, at least I think we’re together.”

You squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek, “Of course, we’re together.”

“See, I’m more concerned that you didn’t tell me any of this,” Pietro whined, “like, you’ve got to give me time to prepare, Y/N! I know we told you to tell him, but I didn’t think you’d do it so soon!”

Wanda smacked him in the shoulder and smirked, “But as Batman and the Huntress, we support you.”

“You were the lunatics who were running around the party, stealing all the mini wieners?” Bucky inquired with a chuckle.

Steve started to holler out in laughter and managed to say, “And I even you guys pop someone’s dinosaur suit.”

“What can I say? We’re just that cool,” Pietro said with a shrug.

“If you call constantly tripping on your cape cool,” you said under your breath while taking a sip.

“What was that?” He asked.

Wanda laughed and raised her glass, “To our beautiful Y/N for bringing us all happiness!”

“To Y/N,” they collectively shouted.

“You guys are really too kind,” you said, feeling a bit emotional, “I was never really close to anyone growing up since all the people I was friends with only wanted to be around me for my money. Once they left me, the only person I had was my mother. She had the greatest influence on me and on the fashion industry, so when she passed away… I knew I had to turn my life around. So I did! I joined my dad in the company and tried to get as close to my father as I could to be trained to take over… then came Maria. She seemed to battle me for dominance and for my dad’s affection. I thought that he would have chosen me over her, but I was wrong in the end. Last year when he died, I was all alone again. I thought I would never know the feeling of having a loving family ever again, but all of you changed that. You are my family now, and I’m glad to have you on my side to fight tomorrow. Whatever happens happens and we’ll all do it together. This last toast is to family.”

Loki smiled at you, pressing his forehead to yours, and raised his glass, “To family.” The rest followed after him, and he led you away while everyone mingled.

“What’s up, Loki?”

He took a deep breath and took your glass, placing it down on your coffee table then taking both of his hands in his, “Y/N, I want you to come over tomorrow before everyone heads over to the premiere. There’s something I want to show you.”

“Loki, if it’s your dick, I’ve already seen it since you leaked your own nudes two years ago.”

He smiled and shook his head, “It’s not. What I want to show it is much more personal than that, so please?”

You cupped his face with one of your hands and smiled lovingly at him, “Of course.”

Loki chuckled and cupped your face, giving you a kiss. “Wonderful. That’s all I wanted to ask.”

“It must be really important to you if you wanted to take me aside to ask.”

“Trust me, it’s very important to me.”

“Then I will be sure to show up even earlier, so we have more time.”

“I really, truly love you Y/F/N.”

“I love you too, Loki Laufeyson.”

“Are you two fucking out here? Because I swear that I will castrate you, Loki,” Pietro said as he hopped over and sat down on the sofa with you.

“You’re intolerable, Pietro,” Loki said, rolling his eyes.

Pietro wrapped his arms around you and smirked, “Thank you.”

“That isn’t a compliment.”

“I know,” he replied with a toothy smile.

“The men in my life are all idiots,” you said while trying to pry Pietro’s arms off.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is the day, but Loki first has something to show you before the big plan falls into place.

You stared at yourself in the mirror and sighed deeply then slightly jumped as Wanda helped place your mother’s necklace around your neck. She smiled and kissed your forehead before leaving the room without a single word being exchanged. You went back to staring at your reflection, feeling the nerves take over you. The feeling was like a darkness was slowly hugging you from behind, and it felt like you couldn’t breathe.

Today was the day. Everything you’d been working for depended on whatever was going to happen. Though you knew that all you had planned was going just as it should, you had the sneaking suspicion that something might go wrong, and that feeling killed you. If anything were to go wrong today, all that you had worked so hard for would have gone to waste.

You clutched at your chest feeling as if your lungs were not completely constricted due to your anxiety and Pietro rushed to your side and held your shoulders, looking you in the eyes in order to calm you down.

“Hey, princess. Everything will just according to plan, alright? You just need to get through today, and it all would have been completely worth it. You’ve got all of us backing you up. If you fall, we’ll be here to catch you. We’re your family now, Y/N. I promise that you’ll be just fine, gorgeous.” Pietro kissed your tears away and cupped your cheeks with a smile until your breathing slowed and returned to normal. “See? It’s going to be epic to watch Maria Hell fail miserably.”

“Thank you, Pietro,” you said with a chuckle as you hugged him closely.

“Anything for you, my princess,” he whispered, helping you to your feet, “I’m glad you didn’t mess up your makeup because your boy toy is here to pick you up.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were having a panic attack! What was I supposed to do?”

“You’re right. Well, I should get going, huh? He wanted to show me something before we head over, but I’ll see you there, dear.”

“Tell me if it’s his dick, okay?” 

You rolled your eyes and nudged him, “You’re a real perv, Piet.”

“Yeah, but you love me,” he whispered before handing you off to Loki.

Loki simply stood there for a moment, admiring you as you nervously shuffled your feet in place. “Wow… you look-”

“Perfect,” Wanda asked.

“Even better,” Loki replied adoringly, offering you his arm, “shall we, my dear?”

You smiled and took his arm, “Gladly.”

“Our little princess has grown into such a beautiful queen,” Pietro said to Wanda as they watched you walk away with him.

Wanda leaned against Pietro’s shoulder and nodded, “Soon enough, we won’t get to see her as much, you know? Especially since-”

He sighed and nodded, leaning on the top of her head, “I know sister… Please don’t remind me.”

**********

Loki took your hand and cupped your face with his free hand, “This might be early, but you’ve given me courage and I thought that this would be the best time to do this.”

You looked from him to the closed door and put the pieces together. You smiled and kissed his cheek, “If you’re ready, then I’m ready to meet her, Loki. This is a big step for you and I support your decision fully.”

He smiled and took a deep breath with a nod, giving you a kiss on the forehead before knocking on the grand door, waiting for a reply.

“You may enter,” a woman’s voice replied, very frail sounding.

Loki slowly opened the door, holding your hand, and stepped inside. You could feel how nervous he was from how sweaty his hand was getting, but you honestly didn’t mind it much. This was his moment and you were just glad that you could be there for him.

Frigga’s eyes widened as she laid her eyes on Loki. She quickly forced herself to sit up in her bed and smiled sweetly, “My son!”

“Hello, mother,” he replied, letting go of your hand and rushing to kneel at her side.

“Oh, my dear boy. You’ve grown so much! Just look at you!”

He smiled and nodded, taking her hand, “Yes, I have. I must sincerely apologize for waiting this long to come see you again, I-”

“It’s alright, my son. All that matters is that you’re here now,” she said, cupping his face.

Loki could feel the tears sting his eyes as she spoke words that lifted his heart completely.

“I see that you’ve brought someone with you.” Frigga’s gaze landed on you, and you could feel yourself freeze upon eye contact.

Loki nodded and motioned for you to come next to him, “Yes. This is Y/N, and she’s the one who encouraged me to come see you. She lost her mother and told me that I should see you before it’s too late. Y/N is very important to me.”

“Hello, ma’am it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard only great things from the both of your sons,” you said, trying your best to sound confident despite the amount of shaking clear in your voice.

Frigga smiled at you and maintained eye contact, “Loki, dear, would you mind getting me some water?”

“Not at all, mother. I’ll be back in a jiffy,” he said, making his way for the door.

She watched until he left before her smile faded, and she looked your dead in the eye, “You’re not good enough for my son.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“You’re not the only girl my Loki has brought home, and all of them have been nothing but gold diggers and harlots. You’re not the first, and you’re definitely not going to be the last. I suggest that you quit while you’re ahead. You already got a gorgeous dress out of it, so stop seeing my son,” she said coldly.

You scoffed and glared at her. You’d been taking vicious comments like this for years, and you just met this woman, but you were not going to take it from someone who didn’t know you or your life story. “Mrs. Odinson, with all due respect, you are completely out of line. First of all, I made this dress completely by hand. The same goes for the suit that Loki is currently wearing. I’ve had a rather mean lady control me for years, and I’m not going to let you do the same. I’ve worked very hard to get to this point in my life. And regardless of what you say, I am in love with Loki, Mrs. Odinson, and he loves me too. I couldn’t care less about his money and I know he’s been with many women previously, but I’m willing to look past all that because I want to be with him. There’s nothing you can say to change my mind.”

Frigga watched you in horror as you spoke then couldn’t stop staring at you once you finished. She suddenly burst into laughter to the point where there were tears in her eyes as you simply looked at her in confusion. She waved for you to come closer as she continued to laugh then took your hands into hers. “You’ve got chutzpah, Y/N. I admire that, truly. I can definitely see why my son chose you. Normally, other girls would have run out crying by now. You have my blessing, dear.”

“Wait, so you don’t hate me,” You asked, genuinely unsure about what just happened.

“Not at all, Y/N! It was just a test that I’ve been waiting so long to do when the day came around that Loki would finally see me with a girl on his arm. Thank you for convincing him to visit, by the way. I rarely get to see him anymore other than the times he thinks I don’t notice him,” Frigga laughed as she spoke, allowing you to relax.

“Of course. I know that I regret not seeing my mother as often as I could have, so I knew that I had to help him out before he made the same mistake.”

Frigga caressed your cheek and smiled, “Well, I hope to see you and him a lot more often.”

“We’ll come to see you as often as you’d like us to,” Loki said as he set a glass of water on her nightstand.

Frigga looked up at Loki and took his hand, placing yours in his, “You’ve chosen well this time, Loki.”

He stared at you adoringly and nodded, “You’re very right about that.”

“You two better get going, Thor told me that you had a red carpet event to attend today. You shouldn’t be late.”

Loki looked at his watch and nodded, “Is there anything you’re ever wrong about?”

“I’m your mother. I’m right about everything,” she looks to you again and grins, “it was truly wonderful to meet you, Y/N.”

“Same goes to you, Mrs. Odinson,” you replied, leaning down to hug her.

“Please, Frigga will do.”

You smiled, feeling happy to have met Frigga today, “The pleasure was all mine, Frigga.”

Loki guided you down the halls once you finished saying your goodbyes and ran into Jane.

“Oh hey, you two. Wow, girl, you sure move fast.”

Loki rolled his eyes, “What are you doing here, Jane?”

“I’m Thor’s date to the red carpet event, clearly. You guys don’t look as badly dressed as I thought you’d be.”

You squeezed Loki’s arm and you shared a shocked look with him. “Does that mean Thor is still here,” you asked, beginning to panic.

“Uh, yeah. That’s kind of why I’m here.”

“We should go then. Bye Jane,” Loki said, quickly tugging you along.

“Wait! Hold on a quick second,” she said, chasing after you.

“What is it now, Jane?”

“Y/N, there was a file in Maria’s desk that I saw that was labeled with your name. I really recommend that you give it a look when she’s not around, okay?”

You tilted your head and squinted, “A file? What’s in it?”

“We don’t have the time! Let’s go, Y/N,” Loki said, his voice slightly raised as he looked around cautiously.

“Right, let’s roll. Thanks, Jane,” you shouted as you ran down the halls.

**********

The whole way to Steve’s house, you couldn’t help but think about the file that Jane had mentioned.

“Love, are you alright?” Loki asked, placing his hand on yours.

You smiled and shook your head, “I’m fine, Loki. I’m just nervous. So many things are running through my head and now Jane has planted an idea to sneak into the office to find that file.”

He groaned and gave your hand a slight squeeze, “Don’t think about it. Let’s just focus on one thing at a time, Y/N. All we need to think about is rocking your designs on the carpet together.”

“You’re right,” you said with a nod. “We’ve got the biggest thing ahead of us, and we need to be ready.”

“That’s true. Now, you better prepare because we’ve arrived at Rogers’ house, and I’m sure that everyone is waiting for us.”  
Bucky smiled at you as he opened the door and assisted you in exiting the car, “You look amazing, Y/N.”

“As do you, Mr. Barnes.”

He chuckled and motioned to his outfit, “Only because you’re the one who dressed me.”

“It’s true. He’d normally look like an eighth grade boy if he dressed himself,” Natasha said, clinging to Clint’s arm.

“An attractive eighth grade boy,” Bucky added.

“There you have it. James Barnes is a pedophile,” Steve said, chuckling. “I can see the headlines now.”

“Ha ha. So funny, Steven.”

Pietro clapped loudly to get everyone’s attention, “Alright, lesbians! Everyone is here, so let’s get serious because it’s game time.”

You gulped and took a deep breath. It all comes down to this.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've done it! Everything has gone according to plan! Or so you thought.

The nerves settled in as the limo pulled up to the red carpet where cameras were flashing when no one even knew who was inside yet. This was the moment that would change everything for you. Were you even prepared enough for what was to come? Would your designs be a laughingstock or the best outfits on the carpet? All would be decided the moment the car door opened.

“Are you ready?” Wanda asked with a smile, squeezing your hand comfortingly.

You looked her in the eye and nodded, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Steve pushed the door open and stepped out of the car. As everyone stepped out one by one, they posed for the cameras. The live news reports surprised that so many A list celebrities were piled into one car, arriving together. Nonetheless, they were talking about the outfits.

“Who are you wearing,” One asked.

“It has to be Maria Hill! It has to,” Another one stated.

“So, the previous outfits were a decoy? How brave of Miss Hill!”

The group was bombarded with questions, yet they said nothing. They simply posed and waited for the right cue.

Then the moment Loki stepped out of the car, the reporters went absolutely mental. It was like he was a piece of bread thrown into a pond full of fish. They were eating him up, more so than the others.

“Loki, you look stunning. Would you please tell us if Maria Hill designed your outfits? How did this fairy tale theme come about? Was it because of your whole Cinderella debacle,” someone said then held a microphone in front of him.

He smirked and cleared his throat, “There is no need to ask me who designed them when you could ask her yourselves.”

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Happy said to you with a smile.

Now it was your turn. Loki held his hand out to you and you took his hand, stepping out of the car. He smiled at you as you stared at the flashing cameras like a deer in headlights. “This is your moment, my love. Bask in the glory,” he said, your face cupped in his slender, warm hands. With the kiss on your forehead, you instantly relaxed. Loki helped you cling to his arm as you posed for cameras, helping you along to join the group.

“This is who you’ve been waiting for. My Cinderella and the creator of every single one of our handcrafted outfits, Miss Y/F/N,” he stated.

You began to answer all the questions to the best of your ability before Maria came over and stood by your side.

“I see you have all met me dear Step-daughter and protege! Quite the talented one, isn’t she? All thanks to my guidance.”

Loki stepped forward with a clenched fist, ready to chew her out, but you held your hand in front of him and simply smiled. You were tired of being pushed around like this for long enough. Standing up to Frigga earlier today granted you the courage to defend yourself from her bullying.

“The great Maria Hill is my step-mother, that much is true, but she taught me nothing about fashion. My late mother and father were the ones that taught me every single thing that I know about design and sewing. What I can give Maria credit for is treating me like human trash. She’s made fun of me, humiliated me, bullied me, and treated me as a slave for as long as I can remember. She’s told me that the designs that I’ve brought to her were never any good, and those outfits that she and her friends are wearing? Those were a test to prove that she steals designs from me. I am here to tell you that Maria Hill is nothing but a fraud. Thank you, that is all I have to say.” You walked away to join back with your friends who watched you from a distance. They greeted you with hugs and pats on the back to congratulate you. Everything had gone accordingly to plan, so all that was left now was to enjoy the event and see how the world and press would react.

**********

“You’re sure that you want to do this, Maria,” Nick asked.

Maria nodded, runny mascara drying quickly on her cheeks. “More sure than I’ve ever been about anything, Nick. I want you to destroy her miserable little life, so that she’ll wish that she was never born.”

“There’s a lot at stake here, Maria. I need you to realize that if this doesn’t work, everything will crumble. And I do mean everything.”

“Do it Nick. Do it now.”

“Alright, as you wish, my queen,” Nick said with a shrug as he clicked his mouse, publishing a life altering article.

**********

Your eyes drifted open and stared up at the ceiling, processing the events of yesterday and last night. #MariaHell was trending on Twitter as what you said last night sparked a lot of people to post articles that they were afraid to post with information about Maria’s horrible personality and the horrible things she’s done. The plan could not have gone anymore perfect. You stretched and turned over you your bed, suddenly feeling a set of arms wrap around your body.

“Good morning to you, my dear princess, my love, my life, my everything,” Loki whispered, peppering you with kisses on your neck after every name, “did you sleep well?”

“I feel like I barely even slept a wink since you kept me up all night.”

“It’s not my fault that I had so much energy. I was just so happy to finally be able to be with you.”

“I get it, my love, but Super Smash Bros until 3 in the morning was a little excessive.”

“Y/N, you must understand that I wasn’t going to stop until I beat you.”

“Yet, you still didn’t. Why? Because I’m the queen when it comes to Smash.”

He chuckled and hugged you tighter, “Yes, but we’ll see who the master of smashing in bed is sometime soon, I hope.”

“You’re such a pervert,” you said as you grabbed a pillow and smacked him in the head with it.

Thor rolled his eyes and spoke, “It seems that the snake has successfully lured the little squirrel despite what I’d been told before.”

“Drop the dramatics, brother. It’s not my fault you were a dirty cheat from the very beginning,” Loki replied as he got up and made his way across the room to face him.

“What do you mean?”

You hopped onto your feet and stood between them before Loki could throw as much as a punch. “I knew from the very beginning that you would betray us, so the plan that you thought was going on was completely different from the truth. If anyone here is a snake, Thor, that would be you.”

“You’ve got big words coming from a murderer, Y/N,” Thor spat.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s all over the news, Y/N. Nick Fury released the article early this morning. Don’t say I didn’t tell you, bitch,” he said with a smirk before pushing you into Loki and walking away.

“What the fuck is he talking about,” you asked as Loki helped you gain your balance.

Loki grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, “That’s what I’d like to know.”

You sat down on the sofa, joined immediately by Loki who intertwined his fingers with yours. To you, it seemed almost like he was more worried about it than you were. Still, you doubted that it was anything extremely detrimental. After all, what dirt could Maria possibly have on you? Then you read the headline, instantly feeling a chill run down your spine. “Y/N responsible for death of mother?” It instantly triggered a series of bad memories that you had long forgotten and pushed aside. 

“Y/N, this can’t be true. What does this mean?” Loki asked, thoroughly confused.

“I-I have to go,” you simply said after a moment. You swiftly stood up and began to slip on and grab your things.

“What? Where are you going?”

“I’m sorry, Loki.”

“You can’t just leave without an explanation. Y/N!”

You ran down the hallways with Loki hot on your tail, not wanting to turn around to face him. As you rounded the corner, you ran right into Jane.

“Y/N, what’s wrong,” she asked, as she attempted to help you get up.

You pushed her away and quickly got on your feet, running once more until you saw a cab dropping one of the neighbors off. Acting quickly, you hopped into the cab and gave him your address. As you finally relaxed, you realized you dropped your shoe back on the stairs and groaned, “Isn’t that just fucking ironic?” The sudden buzzing of your phone grabbed your attention and you saw that it was Wanda calling. For a moment, you hesitated before answering it.

You didn’t even as much as make a sound, but Wanda already started talking, “Y/N! Have you seen the news?”

“Yeah, Wan. I saw it.” You rubbed your temple and took a deep breath.

“They totally twisted the story and made it seem like you killed her,” Pietro said.

“That’s because I did, Piet. It was all my fucking fault that she died, okay? You guys know that,” you said, your voice breaking as hot tears streamed down your cheeks.

Wanda sighed. “No, you can’t blame yourself for-”

“Stop. Just stop it. Leave me alone okay? I need time by myself to wait for this all to blow over.”

“You know that we can’t do that. Where are you? We’re coming to see you,” Pietro said, “whatever you do, don’t go home.”

As the cab driver pulled up to your house, you saw that it was completely surrounded by press and paparazzi. You instantly hung up and dragged your hands down your face.

“Do you want me to take you somewhere else?” He asked.

You nodded and gave him the address to your family cabin.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've spent a month away from everyone else, coping with what you did. Loki and the others are determined to get you out of that funk and make everything right.

“Hey, Y/N. It’s… It’s me again. I’m genuinely unsure if you’ve heard any of these messages, but your mailbox isn’t full, so I’m assuming that is a good sign. I understand you’re still hiding out someplace secure and out of reach, but I miss you. Everyone does. We all worry about you every single day you’re gone. And I’ve said this during every voicemail, but nobody believes... or rather believed Fury’s article. It's a great sign but, something traumatic did happen and you’ve left me in the dark. I’m positive now that the twins know about it. Still, they persist in remaining loyal to you and haven’t said a word about it. What they have said is that you can’t keep trying to deal with this on your own, so I need you to please return to us. We can work it all out together and bring down Maria as we had planned. You mentioned before that we’re a family and, as a family, we’ve decided that it’s time for you to come home. I have to get back to filming now, so always remember that I love you with all my heart, Y/N. Stay safe.”

Loki’s silky mellow voice encouraged you so much. But you couldn’t help but cry from the notion of going back to face any of them with the pain of your mother’s death still suffocating you after a month of nearly complete solitude. You tossed your phone aside and curled up into a ball, your sobs echoing throughout the emptiness of the cabin. Images of your mother’s inanimate body and blood on your hands flashed through your head like the event had occurred just yesterday. The memory you had suppressed for years had resurfaced in the most horrific way thanks to Maria, who was probably celebrating your absence.

After a few minutes, you composed yourself and dried your tears. You sat up and covered your face with your hands, dragging them down as you sat back against the cushion. The skylight above you revealed the many stars that weren’t as visible in the city due to light pollution and it helped settle your nerves even more. The sudden rumbling of your stomach made you groan, forcing you to get up and check the fridge. To your dismay, it was empty which meant that you had to go down the hill and visit the grocery store.

The fluorescent lights seemed blinding as you hadn’t been exposed to such brightness for quite some time. You walked through the aisles, gathering necessities you believed would last for at least another month. That’s when you saw yourself in the reflection in the mirror above the produce.

You didn’t recognize yourself at all. Your eyes were puffy with defined dark circles under them. It was fairly clear that your skin had lightened quite a bit from staying indoors all the time. As you looked in a mirror above the produce, it was like a different person was staring right back at you. With a sigh, you shook your head and proceeded to the checkout. Your appearance was the least of your concerns, but it was useful to be unrecognizable. At least you thought so.

“Y/N? Is that you?” A strong male voice broke your train of thought as you loaded your groceries into the trunk of your car.

You looked in the direction of the source of the voice and saw Thor slowly approaching you. At that moment, you knew you had to act quickly. You flashed a smile at him and shook your head, “Oh, I’m sorry. You have the wrong person.”

“Y/N, I know that it’s you.”

Despite your heart pounding in your chest, you continued your lie, “I really don’t know who you’re talking about, sir. My name is Rosie, and I’d greatly appreciate it if you would please leave me alone.”

“Oh please, cut the bullshit-”

“Thor, who are you talking to,” Jane asked as she rolled up next to him with her cart of food.

“Is this your boyfriend, miss,” you inquired.

“Yes, why? Was he bothering you?”

“As a matter of fact, yes! He’s heckling me and accusing me of being someone despite my rejections! I just want to go home.”

“I’m sorry about that, ma’am,” she apologized sincerely as she nudged Thor aggressively, “we’ll leave you alone now.”

“Thank you, miss. Have a wonderful night,” you said with a smile. You watched the two walk away before rushing into your car, breathing hard from the thought of almost being caught. You rested your head on the steering wheel and calmed yourself down before starting up the car and driving back to the cabin.

**********

“Jane, you have to believe me. That was Y/N! I’m telling you, I know that it was her,” Thor exclaimed.

“Thor, you need not yell. I told you I believed you already. Settle down, alright?”

“If you knew it was her, why didn’t you do anything about it? She’s been worrying the shit out of everyone and you let her get away!”

“Stop yelling.”

Thor took a deep breath and nodded, “Sorry, Jane.”

“It’s alright. I know that you’re just agitated and worried about her, even if you were one of the reasons she went into hiding. She looked horrible. Honestly, the only way I knew it was her was because of her kind eyes.”

“What poor girl are we making fun of now,” Loki asked as he walked into the study.

Both of them looked at each other, then to Loki, considering if they should tell him or not.

“Am I invisible now? Come on. I could use the distraction since all I can think about is-”

“Y/N,” Thor interrupted, “Jane and I think- no, we know that we saw Y/N at a grocery near the lake.”

“What?”

Jane let out a sigh and sat down next to him, “She wasn’t looking too great, Loki. Really malnourished, and she’s definitely not getting as much sleep as she should. Maybe you can ask the twins if Y/N’s family had a place down by the lake or something.”

“I’m sorry. You saw her and you didn’t tell anyone else right away because...?”

“That doesn’t matter. Do you remember that file that I told Y/N about in Maria’s office?”

“Vaguely. Why?”

“I honestly recommend that you get a hold of those documents. They’d be helpful in helping you get Y/N back.”

Loki nodded and kissed Jane’s hand, “Thank you very much. I owe you one.”

“Repay me by being kinder to your brother. He’s the one who spotted her,” she said with a smile.

He looked to Thor who seemed to be acting like he wasn’t interested and exhaled. “Thor, thank you for finding her. Despite our differences, I’ve always respected you for handling everything how you do, especially dealing with my outbursts and the aftermath. I appreciate all that you do.”

Thor’s expression softened as he searched Loki’s eyes for a sign that what he was saying was genuine. He smiled and pushed Loki away, “What are you still doing here? You have a girl to get. Bring the shoe she left behind. It’ll fit in with the whole Cinderella shtick you seem to keep rolling with.”

Loki chuckled and nodded, “Of course. Thank you so much, brother.” He looked at the pair once more before running along to give Wanda a call.

Jane wrapped her arms around Thor and gave him a peck on the lips.

“What’s that for,” he asked, slightly blushing.

She shrugged and laid her head on his chest, “You’ve improved and I’m so glad is all.”

“It’s all because of a certain woman who encouraged me to change for the better,” he whispered sweetly into her ear.

“A cabin?” Wanda asked, “I don’t remember her family having a cabin by the lake. They were pretty in tune with the city vibe, so they never liked going somewhere cut off from that.”

“Are you absolutely certain?” Loki asked as he drove frantically.

“I’m really not sure. Have you tried asking Pietro? He’s bound to have more information about that.”

“I already tried calling him a couple times. He hasn’t picked up.”

“Really? Something is definitely up then. I’ll look up his last known location for you.”

**********

Pietro knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to open the door, looking over his shoulder to make sure that no one followed him. The sound of the door unlocking caught his attention, and he was quickly pulled in which caused him to shriek. A hand covered his mouth, and he sighed.

“Are you trying to get people’s attention?” You asked as you lowered your hand.

“My bad, Y/N. I wasn’t expecting you to pull me in Scorpion-style.”

You shook your head and hugged him tightly, “Whatever, I’m just glad you’re here, Piet.”

Pietro smiled and picked you up so that your legs would wrap around his waist, “Well, how could I possibly resist not coming to see you?” He sat down on the large sofa and set you down beside him. After a moment of silence, he asked, “So, how have you been holding up, princess?”

“Well, I saw Thor and Jane down at the market earlier.”

“Really? Did they recognize you?”

“Thor did, but Jane didn’t.”

“And what did you do about Thor?”

You shrugged casually, thinking nothing of the interaction that came and went so quickly. “I acted like I didn’t know who he was talking about. Hey, your phone has been vibrating like crazy. Are you going to pick it up any time soon?”

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s just Wanda and Loki. I’m pretty sure Jane and Thor told Loki about seeing you, so he’s been trying to call and text me to ask if I know anything about a family cabin.”

Hearing Loki’s name made your chest tighten, and you pulled at the bottom of your shirt. “How is he doing?”

“As well as someone can be when their girlfriend disappeared.”

You groaned and grabbed a pillow, covering your face with it. “I can’t even bear the thought of facing him again with the knowledge that I’m a murderer.”

“You’re not a murderer, Y/N. You can’t just keep blaming-”

“Don’t even say it. Please, Pietro?”

He pulled your head to his chest and kissed the top of your head, “I’m sorry. I’ll just put my phone on silent for now.”

**********

“Can we go over the plan one more time, Loki? I just really don’t want to fuck this up if it’s for Y/N’s sake,” Bucky requested as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

Loki nodded and cleared his throat, “Bucky and Steve, your job is to seduce and distract Maria by luring her away from her office while Clint, Natasha, and I look for the file that Jane was talking about. Wanda will be the lookout and fail-safe just in case Bucky and Steve botch their performance. Everyone clear?” They nodded collectively and Loki smiled, “Alright then. Let’s do this. For Y/N.”

“For Y/N,” they said together.

Bucky and Steve successfully lured Maria away from her office, just as planned, and the rest moved into position. They searched and searched Maria’s file cabinets and desk drawers, but it was nowhere to be found.

“Are you sure you checked this cabinet already?” Natasha asked as she rummaged through it.

“Yes, dear. I checked it at least twice already. There was nothing to do with Y/N in there.”

“What about this one?”

“Yeah. Loki did too, so you don’t have to look through it again.”

“I am not liking your tone right now, mister,” she said with one hand on her hip.

Loki sighed and searched even more frantically, “Would you two stop fighting and just focus? We have little time before-”

“Hey! Maria Hill, I was wondering if you could give me some advice,” Wanda said loud enough for them to hear, slightly louder than her normal talking voice.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Clint cursed under his breath.

Maria scoffed and pushed past Wanda, “Oh please, as if I would give advice to the likes of you.”  
Wanda bit her lip, trying to think of something good enough to stop Maria then suddenly blurted, “I’ve always been in love with you and the reason I became friends with Y/N was just to get closer to you.”

 

Maria stared at Wanda’s with wide eyes then her expression softened as she stepped towards her, “I always knew you had a thing for me. Tell me more about it over coffee.”

Wanda let out a sigh of relief and nodded, “That sounds nice.” It was time for her to put her acting abilities to the test. Once they had left, Bucky and Steve joined the others in search of the file.

“What the hell happened, you guys,” Clint asked.

The two exchanged looks and Steve cleared his throat, nudging Bucky to answer for them both. “Well, we tried for the tactic where we fought over her, but Steve took it a little too far and one thing led to another, and we weren’t fighting over Maria anymore. I’ll just say that things definitely got heated, so she left.”

“You two are hopeless,” Natasha giggled as she wrapped her arms around the both of them, banging their heads together.

“It’s good that you two have joined us. The more people the better considering how Wanda bought us a whole lot of time,” Loki said. Suddenly, he noticed the bottom of one of the drawers was loose. He emptied the contents as everyone watched curiously, “Natasha, I need your long girly nails.”

“Of course. What do you need me to do?”

“This drawer has a false bottom, and-”

“Say no more,” she said as she used her long nails to pry off the false bottom and there lay the file they had been looking for, “well, I have to be honest here. I never pegged Maria to be the kind of person to be smart enough to use a false-bottom drawer.”

Loki opened it, and they all gathered behind him, reading it over his shoulder. Surprise and disbelief washed over them the further they read before Loki shut the file. “Quickly, return everything to the way it was and someone text Wanda. We have to find Pietro.”

**********

The sound of knocks on the door sent you and Pietro into a panic. Silent mouthed conversations were made as you both attempted to figure out where you should hide. Which resulted in you hiding in one of the cupboards.

Pietro took a deep breath and flashed a smile as he opened the door, “Hey! What’s going on, guys?” He leaned up against the door frame, acting as natural as possible.

“What the hell, Piet? We’ve been calling you all damn day, so we had to resort to using your phone to track you! Do you realize how frustrating that was? I mean, I had to act like I was in love with Maria Hell. Maria fucking Hell, Pietro,” Wanda shouted as she and everyone else pushed past him.

“Sorry, I don’t get such great reception out here,” he lied.

Bucky scoffed and plopped down on the sofa. “What are you even doing all the way out here on your own?”

“I like to get away and unwind occasionally, you know?”

“Who cares? Do you have any wine? I think we’re all in need of a drink,” Wanda said as her footsteps drew closer to your hiding place, “is this where you’re keeping your glasses?”

You squeezed your eyes shut and held your hand over your nose and mouth to make as minimal noise possible.

Just as the handles rattled, Loki asked a question that made everyone stop in their tracks. “Pietro, for what reason would you possibly need pictures of Y/N as a child all over the place?”

Pietro seized up and ran through all the excuses he could think up in his head, “Well, you see. I am a stalker and I’ve secretly been in love with Y/N because-”

“Stop talking,” Natasha requested.

“You got it, Nat.”

“Alright, where is she hiding,” Clint asked as he looked inside cabinets and closets with everyone else.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m the only one here.”

“Oh, you are so fucking lying. You always avoid eye contact when you lie,” Wanda called him out.

Pietro squinted at her with the best smile he could put on and chuckled, “Come on Wanda, I lie for a living. If I was lying, you wouldn’t be able to tell at all.”

She looked him dead in the eye and didn’t even blink before saying, “She’s in a cupboard.”

You face palmed and shook your head, exhaling loudly. Of course, the one day you decided to let Pietro come over, your cover was blown completely. The doors to the cupboard flew open, and you waved at everyone with a smile.

“Huh, I guess Pietro wasn’t lying. Y/N isn’t here, just a Gremlin,” Steve joked.

You took his hand, allowing him to help you crawl out, “Funnier than ever, aren't you, Steven?”

Bucky placed both hands on your shoulders and gave you a sympathetic look, “You look terrible.”

Clint seemed to nod in agreement as he looked at you, “I think you’ve definitely had better days.”

“Gee thanks. That’s definitely exactly what I wanted to hear after a month seeing none of you.” You hopped up onto the counter, rolling your eyes.

Wanda pushed Bucky out of the way and hugged you hard enough to hear your back crack. “I, for one, think you look utterly ravishing. I’ve missed you, Y/N.”

You hugged her back, enjoying the human contact, “I missed you too, Wan.”

The moment you separated from her, you made eye contact with Loki. It was easy to tell that the atmosphere completely shifted. Everyone moved out of the way, and he kept his eyes locked on yours the entire time. Not a word was spoken, but you could tell exactly he was thinking from the deeply pained look in his eyes. He placed one hand on your cheek and you leaned against it, feeling completely touch starved. Loki smiled and proceeded to place his other hand on the opposite side, pressing his forehead to yours. Everyone took realized that this was an intimate moment for the two of you and silently left the building, leaving both of you to have your moment.

“Hello, my Robin,” he whispered gingerly, his voice soft and affectionate.

Tears streamed down your cheeks as you cupped his face as well, “I’ve missed you, Nightwing.”

“I believe this is yours,” Loki knelt down and placed the stiletto on your foot, chuckling to find that it was a little loose, “not a perfect fit, but you're still my princess, nonetheless.”

You laughed and wiped away your tears, “I get it a little bigger on purpose since my feet swell when I’m on my feet for a long time. That’s why it fell off in the first place.”

“Now the old fairy tale makes sense. Cinderella needed breathing room for her foot, but it wasn’t swollen enough, so the shoe fell off.”

“You, sir, are a major dork.”

“Says the woman wearing a shirt that says ‘Stay Spoopy’ on it when it’s nowhere near Halloween.”

“Hey, it’s Halloween somewhere.”

“No, it really isn’t.”

“Weirdo says what?”

“My dear, that would never work on me.”

“Babe, what do you call a light’s unit of power?”

“Watt. Wait… I know what you’re thinking and that’s not the same thing.”

“Close enough! You’re a weirdo,” you exclaimed, hopping off the counter to run away from him with one heel on as he chased you around.

At some point, you ditched the shoe while your game of tag continued for another minute or two until you both collapsed onto the bed in the guest room. The only thing you could hear was each other’s heavy breathing until it slowly faded back to normal as you stared into his eyes in silence.

“There’s not a moment of any day this past month when you weren’t on my mind,” Loki finally admitted.

“The same goes for me. All I could think about was how much I must have worried you and that you must have been so furious with me for leaving.”

He shook his head and sat up, “I would never be mad at you for leaving with such a reason. I was more concerned that you chose to cope on your own than anything else. That, and very curious about what exactly happened to make you go into hiding.”

You sighed and rested your head on his lap, “I killed my mother. Not directly, but I definitely blame myself for her death.”

“You don’t have to go too deep into it if you don’t want to.”

“I want to. You’ve shared so much of your life with me that I feel it’s only right I tell you about the dark parts of mine.”

“Alright, but you can stop at any point if talking about it is too much for you.”

You nodded then took a deep breath.

“I told you before, I was a troublemaker as a child. I thought the world should bow down and kiss my feet because I was born privileged. The same thing happened to my dad except he came from nothing and built something from it with my mom. Somewhere along the line, he forgot who he was and acted like an asshole to everyone. The only person who could bring us back down to earth, when I needed it, was my mom. She always knew just what to say to humble us. It was like she was the only thing that kept us from letting our egos take complete control over us. Yet, despite all that, I took her for granted. I never took the time to see when she was the one who needed help. I never stopped to ask her how she was feeling or if she wanted someone to talk to. If I hadn’t been so selfish, she’d still be here. Instead, I was the one who found her lifeless body in a bathtub. Her death could’ve been avoided if I hadn’t pushed her away the one time she asked me to talk to her about an important matter... If only I had seen the signs. My dad never said it out loud, but I knew he blamed me for her death. I could tell from the way he gave me the cold shoulder, married Maria, and gave her the rights to the company. He didn’t even need to tell me because I already knew I was the one who killed my mother.”

“Sweetheart, I really don’t mean to say you’re 100% wrong but… you’re 100% wrong,” Loki countered in a sweet voice.

“Loki, please don’t. I killed my mother and my father hated me. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Positive.”

“I think I have something downstairs that’ll change everything. Just give me a moment,” he slid off the bed and rushed downstairs, leaving you in confusion as you wiped away your tears. Less than a minute later, he returned with a folder with your name on it. “Wanda took a bullet for us to get our hands on this, so you might want to be extra nice to her. Maybe thank Jane as well for being in the right place at the right time to see that it existed,” he said as he sat down across from you and handed it to you.

You opened the file, immediately shocked to find out that what it enclosed your father’s handwritten will. Once the shock settled in, you began to read it:

THE CONTENTS OF THIS WILL MUST ONLY BE SEEN BY THE EYES OF Y/F/N.

My dearest daughter Y/N,

First, in the event of my death, if seemingly caused by an accident or any sort of sudden illness, I need you to go to your godfather, my only trustworthy friend, Tony Stark and request that it be investigated further. I have good reason to believe Maria Hill was responsible. Show him this letter, and he will know exactly what to do.

This next part is very important, so read it carefully. I never blamed you for your mother’s death as you most likely thought I did but it was not your fault. Your mother was depressed for a very long time, but you shouldn’t blame yourself for her actions. The only person to blame was me. I knew from the beginning that she was depressed but I ignored it, thinking she would simply get better on her own. The reason I acted coldly towards you, after the fact, was because I didn’t know how to face you. I love you dearly. I always will until my last moment.

Now, you must be wondering, “Why on this good green earth did I marry Maria Hell?” Do you like that? I call her Maria Hell behind her back because she is the devil incarnate, I swear. The only reason I married her was because she blackmailed me by saying she would make sure that your life was a living hell by having Nick Fury post an article about you with enough information to ruin your life forever. I married the wretched woman to protect you but that doesn’t mean that she’s won.

That leads me to my final point. I leave you, my only living heir, as the successor to the family company. That’s right, I want you to follow in our footsteps and lead the company to greatness with your fantastic designs and clever photo shoot ideas. It may seem like a lot to handle but I know that if anyone can handle running a large scale, leading, fashion-based company, it’s you. I wish all luck to you, my daughter and I sincerely hope you can forgive me for being an ass while I was still alive.

Officially signed and approved by:  
Father’s/Name

You blinked and sat there for a moment, processing everything you had just read. Then your gaze slowly raised up to Loki who was smiling at you like an absolute goofball. You maintained a serious face and placed the will back in the folder, then put in on the nightstand without saying a word. You then lunged at Loki, pinning him down with a hug as you squealed.

“We can finally take that fucking bitch down,” you exclaimed  
“I’m ready whenever you are, Y/N.”

“Give me a few hours. I want to be prepared for whatever happens, and I want to do it right. No backlash this time.”

“As you wish. I’ll stand right by your side when you feel that you are ready.”

**********

You barged into Maria’s office, Loki close behind you, and she looked up at the two of you with a devilish smile, “Well, well, well! It looks like the bitch is back from the dead. Did you get to see your poor mommy in the afterlife? You’ve even gotten lighter like a ghost. How cute.” 

Without even hesitating, unfazed by what she said, you declared, “You best be getting your ass out of that seat now, Maria. It belongs to me. As a matter of fact, it all belongs to me, so I’m going to need you to vacate the premise immediately.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are, murderer? You have no claim over this office. Your daddy left everything to me, remember?”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, “I have a handwritten will by my father that says otherwise.”

“No. That’s not possible,” she faltered as she knelt down and searched under the false-bottom drawer to find nothing, “how the hell did you get your hands on it?”

“How I did doesn’t matter. See, what matters is what I found in the will. What do you think, Loki? Should I do as it says in the will and make sure the murderer of my father is brought to justice?”

Loki smirked and nodded, “I think you should do just that, my dearest.”

“I disagree with the sexy man, Y/N. Please have mercy on me,” Maria begged.

“After all that you’ve done to me? I don’t think so,” you said with a smile, “your ship is going down, Maria, and this time… there’s nothing you can do to keep it from sinking. I hope you enjoy prison, Miss Hell.”

Maria clenched her fists and shot up. She proceeded to scream as she knocked everything on her desk to the ground. With that, she pushed past you and left as quickly as she could. Most likely to skip town and go into hiding just as she pushed you to.

“You did it, my love. You finally did it,” Loki said with his arms wrapped around your waist.

“I couldn’t have ever done it if I hadn’t shared a kiss with a stranger at midnight,” you replied, giving him a peck.

“Honestly, I would have kissed you much sooner had I known you were only mine until midnight. Don’t tell me all this midnight nonsense was the reason you chose to do this right before midnight.”

You shrugged and giggled, “What can I say? The magic wears off before midnight, so I simply had to. I’m just really lucky that she was still here.”

“You mean to tell me that there was a possibility that she wouldn’t be here... at this time specific time, but you just took a shot in the dark, assuming she would?”

“That’s exactly what I meant.”

Loki chuckled and shook his head, “I’m in love with a dork.”

“As am I,” you smiled and pulled him in for a long-lasting, magical kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year has passed and this is where your life is now.

If you were to ask yourself from a year ago whether you could picture yourself being a successful business tycoon or not, you would have answered with no. There was no way that you could have imagined being the CEO of the company that should have rightfully been yours since the beginning. You were no longer that scared, fragile girl anymore. As of now, you were on top of the world. There wasn’t a person in the world of fashion who didn’t know your name. You practically owned the high fashion industry at this point. Still, you upheld your promise not to be anything like Maria Hill by staying humble and treating your assistant as an equal. The fact that you were in his position just last year kept you from making him do anything too crazy.

Your success over one year wasn’t a surprise to anyone, but the events that happened during it were. The first exciting event was that Natasha and Clint had twins. Wanda and Pietro were more excited about that more than anything. They constantly referred to the children as mini versions of themselves.

Speaking of the twins, Wanda went backpacking across Europe. She came to the realization she spent so much time on the material things and that she had to go “find herself”. So, she decided that this was the best way to do it. As for Pietro… well, what is there to say, really? He didn’t really do anything worth mentioning- oh wait, that’s right. Pietro Maximoff made an award-winning documentary about your life and your grueling road to success. In a way, he really was stalking you throughout your entire life, but in a form accepted by society.

Steve and Bucky got married. Definitely no surprise in that department. They became icons in the LGBT community as they would often donate to charities and fought for rights around the world. The couple even had a third partner, Sam Wilson. It scored them even more points for normalizing polyamorous relationships. Though people say that they’re only in it for the publicity and money, you could vouch for them and confirm that the only reason they did it was for true love.

Thor started taking anger management classes. Jane had encouraged him to go, of course. But, he knew that he had a problem and that it was time that he finally got help. He definitely got better and now was just a huge teddy bear. Thor became the prime example of how men should act toward women. He’d been on talk shows like Ellen, The Late Night Show, and The Late Late Show to speak against domestic violence. Everyone was doing great in their lives.

The most important thing that brought you the most joy was seeing Maria be put behind bars for first-degree murder. With the help of Tony Stark, an investigation was launched. The evidence gathered led to the discovery that your dad’s brakes were cut. They didn’t even need to investigate any further than that because Maria confessed to absolutely everything. You knew that your mom and dad could finally rest knowing that your conscience was cleared and justice was brought.

Oh, and one more thing. How could you have possibly forgotten? You broke up with Loki a good seven months ago after you caught him cheating on you with a costar who he’d told you not to worry about. After that, he returned to his original playboy ways and you hadn’t spoken since then. Luckily, the press didn’t make a big deal out of it since it was considered the norm with Loki. Still, it left you broken, that’s for sure. You buried yourself in work, and it clearly paid off considering just how successful you’d become. That brings us to tomorrow night’s formal event: a launch party for your next line of clothing. Everyone in the original gang was coming to celebrate with you… with the exception of Loki.

You shook your head, brought back to reality by a sudden knock at the door. You cleared your throat and spoke, “Come in.”

Ned poked his head in and smiled, “Hey Y/N. I just wanted to let you know that your four o’clock is here ten minutes early. Did you want me to send them in now or wait for another ten?”

You smiled and nodded before returning to the files you were working on, “Send them in, Ned. I don’t want to keep them waiting too long.”

Ned nodded and turned to Wanda and Pietro, holding the door open for them, “Miss L/N will see you now.”

The pair entered the room and sat down in front of your desk, exchanging looks as they noticed how focused you were on the work in front of you. Wanda even cleared her throat. Yet, you didn’t break from your rhythm of reading and softly sighing to yourself.

“This is bad, Piet. You didn’t tell me that the break up was a code blue.”

“I didn’t realize that she was still coping through work. I thought she was just working hard on getting through to her next launch.”

“Does she even realize that we’re here? I haven’t seen her like this since her dog died.” Wanda threw a pen at you and you finally broke free from work mode.

“Oh hey,” you greeted them with a smile, “When did you guys get here? More importantly, why are you here? I have a meeting with clients.”

Pietro took your hand and sighed, “Y/N, when’s the last time you’ve slept in your own bed at home?”

You tilted your head and looked up, genuinely needing to think about the answer. “I think a month or two ago when the building was undergoing some major construction. I normally just sleep in the hammock over there. And if you’re wondering where I shower, I use the gym locker room showers upstairs. I practically live here now since I’ve got everything I need within the building.”

Wanda took your other hand and threaded her fingers through your hair, “Sweetie, you need to go home and get some rest. Do something to relax! You’re doing the thing where you drown yourself to avoid feeling human emotion.”

“Wanda, I’m fine! I love working, okay? I’m not avoiding anything. Who cares if Loki wasn’t satisfied with just me? I don’t feel a thing! That was seven months ago, you goofs. I’m completely over it! Besides, how can I relax when I have a launch to worry about tomo-”

Pietro groaned and slammed his hands down on your desk, “Y/N, you’re turning yourself into a workaholic robot! You can’t tell us that you’re fine when I haven’t seen you in months! Do you realize how sad it is to say that the only way that I could talk to you was to make an appointment? Princess, we’ve all been calling you and texting you to make sure you’re alright, but not once did you reply! I’ve only been able to keep up with you through the weirdly vague Tweets you post every once in a while. I’m only going to say this once and the only answer is yes. You’re going to let us take you out and relax. No questions asked.”

You looked back and forth between the two and shook your head. You pressed the intercom and spoke clearly, “Ned, be a dear and clear my schedule. You can have the rest of the day off, okay?” Wanda and Pietro cheered silently and you couldn’t help but giggle.

“You got it, Y/N,” he replied enthusiastically.

“Okay, great! Now, put on this blindfold,” Wanda ordered as she threw it at you.

“Why do I need-”

Pietro put a finger over your mouth with widened eyes, “I said no questions asked.”

You rolled your eyes and reluctantly followed their instructions, “Alright, fine. You’ve got full control over me and I won’t ask any more questions.”

*********

“Why the fuck are we in a Goddamn costume shop?”

“You said that you wouldn’t ask any questions!” Wanda exclaimed.

“Wanda, I clearly know where you’re taking me and I am definitely not going.”

“Piet, you get her top, jacket, and accessories. I’ll get the fishnets, shorts, and shoes.”

You slowly backed into a corner in fear. “Let’s be civil about this. Come on, Wanda. Please? Pietro, you love me. Don’t do this to me. Guys? Guys!”

“This is all for your own good, princess! It’s the only way was can get you to relax. Just let this happen,” Pietro shouted over your loud struggling.

“No! You can’t make me go to Loki’s stupid birthday party wearing a stupid costume!”

Wanda finished up by securing the laces on the high heeled boots and they backed away with their hands up, “Alright, we’re done. Take a look.”

You glared at them as you stepped up to the mirror and facepalmed, “You did not dress me up as Black fucking Canary. Don’t you dare tell me that Loki is going to dress up as Green Arrow.”

“That would be silly. Don’t be ridiculous, princess,” Pietro reassured you, helping you sit down, “Now, you should relax and eat some snacks while we get ready. It’ll just be a minute.”

“Fine, but only because I happen to like the snacks that you’ve provided me and I’ve got nothing else to do.”

“So what happened between you and Loki anyway? Before I left, I could practically hear the wedding bells. I mean, after everything that happened, I didn’t expect you two to break up at all, really,” Wanda asked from behind the changing curtain, her clothes flying over.

Before you could answer, Pietro groaned loudly, “Don’t even get her started, sis. Loki made the biggest mistake of his entire life by betraying a beautiful princess for a lowly peasant girl. His reasons may be unknown, but whatever his excuse may be… he lost the greatest thing that ever happened to him.”

“See that right there? That’s why people think you’re totally in love with Y/N. The documentary didn’t help at all, you know?”

“Lay off of him, Wanda. He won awards because of the documentary and he did make it within a year. I’m definitely not saying that just because it brought in a lot of money for me. Besides, he is in love with me,” you explained as you stuffed your mouth with junk food.

“It’s true, Wan. We talked about it like three years ago when you got blackout drunk on our birthday. We agreed that we’re better off as friends,” Pietro exited the dressing room and flexed, “how do I look, princess?”

You got up and wrapped your arms around his neck, “You look super hot, Green Lantern.”

Wanda slid the curtain open and pretended to puke then pulled you off of Pietro then wrapped her own arms around your waist in one swift movement, “How about me, gorgeous? Do you think I look good?”

“You make the absolute sexiest Catwoman I’ve ever seen, Wanda. Now, can we please leave before I change my mind?”

“Of course, little canary. Let’s go to a party your ex is hosting while completely avoiding him at the same time.”

“Yeah, not the best way to phrase it, sis.”

“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you, Pietro.”

“You got it, Wanda.”

Pulling up to the steps of the Odinson household made your heart race. It was almost nostalgic. Last time you were there, you were picking up the last of your things and vowed to never return. Yet, there you were, exiting the car and smiling for the cameras.

“How does it feel to be going to Loki’s party a year after the Cinderella ordeal?” one reporter asked.

The question felt as if it stabbed you through the heart as you recalled last year’s events, but you smiled and answered, “It feels great to be able to return with my two greatest friends in the world. Luckily, I’m wearing shoes with laces and I don’t have a mask, so I won’t be leaving anything behind anytime soon.” They all chuckled and you walked away, your smile fading as you turned. 

“I’m so going to regret letting you guys take me to this,” you said to them quietly while grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing server.

**********

“Do you really think that she’ll be here, brother?” Thor asked while adjusting his leather jacket. This year, he was dressed as Danny Zuko to match with Jane’s Sandra Dee costume, and he was visibly happy to be standing by her side.

Loki put up his hood and nodded, “My sources have alerted me that she’s just arrived with the Maximoffs not too long ago. Tonight is the night that I finally win Y/N back.”

“It’s your own fucking fault that she left you, Loki. You don’t even know if she still has feelings for you. What if she’s moved on? There sure are a ton of rumors about Pietro,” Jane added as she applied her lipstick.

“That’s not likely, dear Jane. Pietro wouldn’t be able to handle her. The twins are my source, so I know for a fact that she and I will be matching and that she’s single. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a canary to catch.”

Loki scanned over the crowds of people below him and rolled his eyes to see most of them dressed as Nightwing and Robin. He descended down the stairs, still unable to find you as he searched around in hopes of catching even a glimpse of what could look like you. That’s when he spotted what looked you talking to a small group of people. A grin crept across his face as he squeezed past people to reach you before you got away. Loki placed his hands on a woman’s shoulders and leaned in to whisper, “Looks like I’ve caught a bird in my cage.”

The woman turned around, looking disgruntled then quickly realized that it was Loki, “Oh my gosh! Loki, you look amazing as Robin Hood! A little inaccurate, but still great. Do you like my sexy magician outfit?”

“I’m dressed as Green Arrow, you absolutely uneducated-” he stared at the woman in front of him for a moment before taking a deep breath, “my apologies, madam. You look wonderful. Have a great night.” Loki pushed people away as he forced his way to the balcony, leaning over the railing while letting out a frustrated groan.

“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking with me. They told me you wouldn’t be dressed as Green Arrow, those fucking traitors,” someone grumbled from behind him.

Loki turned around and saw you staring at him with wide eyes, five empty glasses next to you on the table and another in your hand. “Well, well, well. What do we have here? A gorgeous Black Canary all by her lonesome self.” He slowly walked towards you, raising your hand to his lips, only for you to pull it away.

“Don’t you have some skanky co-star you should be fucking in a prop closet?”

“I deserved that,” he said as he sat down next to you, “Just when do you plan on forgiving me for that, my queen?”

“Are you kidding me? How the hell could I possibly forgive you for that, you prick?”

“It was seven months ago, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that not forgiving your cheating ex had an expiration date.”

“Y/N, I never meant to hurt you.”

“Well, you fucking did, Loki. Congratu-fucking-lations.”

“Please, let me finish. Hear me out just this once.”

You studied his expression for a minute and, seeing how genuine he was being, waved for him to continue as you finished off what was left of the drink in your hand.

“Thank you, Y/N. I’ve been thinking about you nonstop for the past seven months and I really have no idea how to explain to you why I did what I did. What I can explain is what I was feeling at the time. I know that this is no excuse, but I was so terrified of messing everything up with you. Every day was a constant struggle for me to satisfy your every need, even though you never asked for much. It became increasingly difficult during the days that I didn’t get to talk to you because I was filming all day or you were busy running your company. At that point, I had begun to slowly crumble from the pressure of convincing myself not to mess anything up. Sharon clearly noticed that my mental state was deteriorating and took advantage of me with that knowledge. In a moment of weakness, I gave in to temptation after an entire week of not seeing you. Little did I know that that day would be when you would come to surprise me.”

He stared at you in silence after that as if he were waiting for your response and you rolled your eyes with a deep sigh that followed.

“That’s really all that you’ve got to say?”

“What else were you expecting me to say?”

“How about ‘I’m sorry for what I did. Clearly, I wasn’t in the right of mind and it’s all my fault,’ or maybe even, ‘I was a huge fucking prick and I cheated on you without any good reason.’ That would have been great to hear.”

“You think that this was all my fault? You act like there is no blame to be passed onto you.”

“Because there isn’t, Loki. Clearly, you don’t think that, so why don’t you go ahead and explain to me how you cheating on me was my fault,” you gave him time to respond and scoffed at his silence, “my point exactly.” You turned your back on him and ran your fingers through your hair.

“You weren’t there for me, Y/N,” he muttered under his breath.

“What was that?” You asked, turning around again.

“I said you weren’t there for me,” he said, almost yelling.

“What do you mean by that? Every time you really needed me, I dropped everything just to see you.”

“That only ever went so far, Y/N. There was something that I needed.”

“So you’re saying that you cheating on me was partially my fault because we didn’t fuck every damn day?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he paused and took hold of your hand, “Before that had happened, there was something I wanted, no, needed to do. As the months passed so quickly, I found that I regretted not doing it much sooner. See, I was stuck in a constant state of mind that I wasn’t good enough for you, and that is true, but I let it get to me… I figured you’d be much better off with someone who wasn’t me.”

“You were the only one I wanted, Loki! How could you even think for a moment that I needed someone else? Better yet, who are you to decide what makes me happy? Loki, you’re everything I could have possibly wanted. You helped me become a stronger and happier person with a voice. Who do you think could even begin to fill your position by my side? I love you, Loki Laufeyson… Only you. I don’t know why or how I do after the pain and heartache you put me through, but I do.”

Loki’s eyes filled with tears of happiness as he cupped your face, “I love you too, Y/N. For that, I have but one thing to ask you before you have any doubts.” He reached slowly into his back pocket with a look of certainty plastered on his face.

“There you are, you fucking stupid little bitch,” Maria seethed, seemingly out of nowhere, causing you both to stand up, Loki stood in front of you for protection. Her hair was a mess and she wore a waitress’ uniform with a gun pointed at you. “I just knew you’d be here at this stupid party. Did you miss me, Y/N?”

“Maria, how did you get here?” Loki asked.

“I’ve got plenty of connections, pretty boy. That’s something you should have accounted for before feeding me to the sharks. Now, step aside. I’ve got a full clip and every single bullet is going in Y/N’s head!”

He firmly shook his head and held his ground, making sure he covered you completely, “There’s no way I’m going to let you hurt her.”

Maria rolled her eyes and shifted the weight of her stance, “Then you leave me no choice.” Without skipping a beat, she shot him in his right leg. She chuckled evilly as he collapsed with a shout, followed by you kneeling beside him.

“Loki, are you okay?” You whispered to him.

He bit his lip and breathed hard, “It hurts like a motherfucker but she’s a horrible shot, so it looks like it only grazed me.”

By now, everyone inside watched helplessly from inside, recording with their phones. Maria smiled and waved at them, “How wonderful! We’ve got an audience here to witness your demise! Isn’t that just amazing?”

“You’re fucking insane,” you fumed.

“So, she speaks for herself! Tell me, how does it feel to be at the top then have everything you love be ripped away from you? Hurts, right? Well, you didn’t even deserve this. You were supposed to be in that car, Y/N. You were supposed to die along with your pathetic father, but you were such a spoiled brat that you fought with him that day and he left without you. I should have what you have right now. You shouldn’t be alive, so I’m simply correcting history. So, do you have any last words?”

“Loki, are your bow and arrow real?” You asked quietly.

“Of course. Would you expect me not to go all out with my costumes? Why?” He questioned.

“Would you stop your incessant whispering, already! I’m giving you the pleasantries of going out with a bang, so be grateful,” Maria shouted, scratching her head with the gun.

“Okay, fine,” you answered as you swiftly and quickly readied an arrow, shooting it in one quick motion. Time seemed to move in slow motion as it traveled through the air, going straight into her shoulder. “Bullseye,” you said she shrieked, falling backward and hitting the ground with a thud quickly being apprehended by Thor and Pietro.

Loki’s breath quivered as you looked down at him, “Y/N…”

“Y/N, no,” Wanda yelled as she rushed to your side before you fell forward, onto Loki.

What you didn’t account for was her getting one shot out before letting go of the gun. The events that followed went through your mind in flashes. One moment, you were in an ambulance. Next, you were being rushed through a hospital. You could hear the sobs of your friends before being rushed into the operating room. The last thing you could remember was the bright light above the operating table before they put you under.

*********

Everyone waited patiently in a private room, waiting to hear about the results of your surgery. Loki sat there with a blank expression, his arms folded with a small, velvety box clutched tightly in his fist. The door opened and everyone looked up only to be disappointed.

“Sorry, guys… Just us, but I brought you all some coffee,” Thor said as he handed them out while Jane handed out a change of clothes and blankets.

“Shouldn’t they be done by now? I feel like we’ve been waiting here for hours,” Wanda shouted, beginning to feel impatient.

“We need to stay calm, Wan. The bullet was lodged in her torso, so there was a huge possibility of it hitting a major organ. That might be why it’s taking her so long. They’re doing all they can, so all we can do here is wait,” Steve explained.

Pietro sighed and threaded his fingers through his hair, “Did Tony have any news about how Maria escaped?”

“Some powerful people who owed her snuck her out through an old ventilation shaft or something. They’re all being transferred to maximum security prisons,” Bucky explained.

“Good. They deserve it, Maria especially,” Jane scoffed.

Loki suddenly got up and rushed outside, limping up the stairs to the roof. Everyone exchanged worried looks and Thor let out a deep sigh before chasing after him.

Thor sat next to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder, “She’ll be alright, Loki. We all know how strong Y/N is.”

Loki shook his head, “None of this would have happened if I hadn’t convinced Wanda and Pietro to bring Y/N to the party.”

“Brother, you shouldn’t blame yourself for-”

“No, Thor. I’ve brought nothing but pain to Y/N’s life.”

“You can’t possibly think that’s true.”

“Oh, but I do! Just look at the position she’s in! She’s going to die and it’s completely my own selfish fault.” Loki began to break down and Thor simply hugged him tightly.

He allowed his younger brother to sob into his chest for a while before speaking, “Loki, you and Y/N are meant to be together. That much I’m certain about. If she didn’t want to be at the party, she could have very easily slipped away. But, she was exactly where the two of you shared your first romantic moment together. Don’t you think that’s because she was hoping to be able to see you and reconcile with you? There is no one I know who would be willing to see you again after being cheated on. Y/N is stupidly in love with you and you with her. She is going to be just fine and you are going to propose to her. The two of you will get your happily ever after, am I clear?”

“Thor, I-”

“Am I clear, brother?” Thor asked once more, gripping his shoulders.

Loki smiled as he recollected what you said about him being the one to be there for him when he fell, “Absolutely.”

Thor smiled and hugged his brother once more, “Then let’s get back to the others. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss hearing the results of Y/N’s surgery.”

As the pair entered the room, they found that the doctor was there before them. “Oh, good, you two are just in time.”

“On with it, Dr. Banner,” Wanda said.

“The surgery was a success. You can go see her if you’d like, but not for long as she’s going to need her rest. Feel free to talk to her as she’s capable to do so.”

“Thank you so much, doctor,” Pietro said to him, giving him a hug.

You watched as the footage of you getting shot played on the news and turned it off immediately. You felt grateful that you were still alive after that, yet pissed that your launch would have to be pushed back until you were given a clean bill of health all because of Maria. The door opened and Wanda and Pietro hugged you while the others filed into the room.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, princess,” Pietro breathed before they gave you some space.

“Thank you, but who exactly are you people?” You asked, looked them all quizzically as they exchanged worried looks before you laughed and winced from the pain, “I’m just kidding, you guys. I’m not going to forget about my family that easily.” They all told you about how happy they were that you were okay and joked around with you, but you noticed that Loki kept his distance from you. “Do you guys mind giving Loki and I some time alone, please?”

They did as you said and Loki stood by your side, holding your hand with a loving smile, “You really scared me there, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry, Loki. I wasn’t really counting on getting shot and stealing the spotlight from you,” you joked.

He shook his head with a chuckle, “I’m serious. I thought I was going to lose you for real this time.”

You stared at him for a moment then squeezed his hand, “Yes.”

Loki was shocked by your comment and cleared his throat, “I’m sorry?”

“Yes, I’ll marry you, Loki.”

“Why are you-”

“I knew you were going to ask me seven months ago and that you were going to ask me earlier tonight. My answer is yes.”

“I didn’t even get to ask,” he said with a smirk, “how are you so sure I was going to?”

“What else would you be hiding in that little red box in your hand?”

He looked at it and laughed, “As observant as ever, my love.”

“What are you waiting for? Put it on me,” you rushed him.

“You really aren’t the same shy and clumsy girl I met a year ago,” he complied to your wish and slipped the ring onto your ring finger, “Perfect fit.”

You smiled as you studied the ring, “We’ve come a very long way, Loki Laufeyson.”

“That I agree with Y/F/N.”

“I can’t wait to be Y/N Laufeyson.”

“Neither can I,” Loki said as he slowly leaned in, giving you a kiss on the lips.

*********

“And that’s the story of how mommy and daddy fell in love,” Loki explained to your 9-month-old.

“Why are you telling him our story again? You’ve already told it to them so many times already,” you said as you sat next to him.

“I just can’t help it! It’s my favorite story to tell, so I want to make sure they know it by heart,” he gushed, giving your pregnant belly a kiss, “his sister will receive the same treatment

“Dear, he can’t understand a word you’re saying. He can’t even speak yet.”

“That’s never going to stop me, darling. My children will know our great love story whether they like it or not.”

“You’re ridiculous,” you said, rolling your eyes.

“No, I’m Loki,” he stated proudly.

“Again with the dad jokes? I’m going to kill myself.”

“No, you’re Y/N, my wife. God, do I love calling you my wife.”

You groaned and rested your head on his shoulder, “And I love calling you my husband and the father to my children.”

“Let’s go for a third.”

“Loki!”

“I only kid… I want twins.”

“You’re an insufferable man.”

“Yes, but I’m your insufferable man,” he said in a baby voice as he played with your son.

“Happily so,” you admitted as you rubbed your belly, observing him with a loving gaze.


End file.
